It's Only Forever
by xPhoenixButterflyx
Summary: Samuel battles the world of infatuated Queen Jaryn in order to save his infant sister Hannah. Jaryn's wrath grows by the minute and will persist to do so until Sam succumbs to what Jaryn has wanted from him for longer than he thinks. When it comes to the final straw, will Sam choose to go home to a life of torment from his stepfather or choose to no longer see Jaryn as the villain?
1. Chapter 1 - Samuel

The English classroom of Mrs. Ryan filled with (badly attempted) stifled snorts and giggles that emitted from the other twenty-two sixteen and seventeen-year-olds that all shared the same scarlet shade in their faces. They all peered through the rectangular window that resided between the wall and the maroon door as if it was a cinema screen. There wasn't a single student in the classroom that didn't make comments or hold the middle finger up to the sweating, ridiculed Samuel Williams.

He stood with his back against the wall, looking out of the window that let him see outside to the school gardens where the rain made puddles all over the grass, concrete and in any other steep crevice all over the garden. Sam did anything that meant he wouldn't have to look at the piercing grey eyes of a fuming Mrs. Ryan.

Sam ran his forearm across his head to wipe the rainwater that soaked through his messy, ebony hair. He kept his head down, looking at his black boots that were poorly tied up until she finally told him to look at her while she was talking. He did so, not wanting to anger her any more than he already had.

"Well then Samuel, are you going to tell me why you were late?" Mrs. Ryan asked. Sam didn't answer and instead looked through the rectangular pane of glass that allowed him to look inside the English classroom and see Jack Milton and his goons hold the middle finger up to him as they chortled away.

"I asked you a question!" Mrs. Ryan said impatiently. Sam flinched as she raised her voice but still had no wish to answer her.

"Fine. Be like that. Inside with you!" She commanded. Sam obeyed, not wishing to bicker with her any further. All laughing of the classmates turned into stifled snorts and there wasn't one without their heads on their desks to hide the crimson shades in their faces.

Sam hurried to the back corner of the classroom and propped the window open. He unzipped his grey jacket and placed it across the windowsill so it would hopefully be dry by the end of the lesson.

"Are you going to tell me why you were late then Samuel?" Mrs. Ryan asked as she straightened herself in her seat and looked for a pen.

"I've just told you why!" He argued, the frustration clear in his voice.

"No, I don't believe you did. Unless you count shrugging your shoulders as an excuse."

"I had to help Charles with the baby." He finally said, not too proudly.

"Ah yes, how is little Anna now?" She asked as she scribbled across the register with her red pen.

" **Hannah's** fine." He grumbled in response. Mrs. Ryan gave her usual monotone 'hmm' as she finished writing a note next to Sam's name on the register about why he was late for school.

He sat down, breathing heavily as the whole morning flashed through his mind again. Hannah's incessant cries and screams still played in his head, as did his stepfather's scolding.

He leaned back in his seat as he attempted to catch his breath when he suddenly heard the shuffling of sheets of paper. He smiled faintly to himself as he knew what today's lesson was going to be.

Mrs. Ryan went to each desk, handing out two sheets of lined paper to every groaning student. They all looked at each other, eyes rolling with exasperation. (All but Sam, of course). He did his best to hide his excitement when Mrs. Ryan placed two sheets of paper in front of him. He had already reached for his pencil and started scribbling frantically. He was so lost in the pride of his short story that he didn't even hear the derogatory names Jack Milton whispered over to him.

Sam set the pencil down on his desk and flexed his fingers to ease the small cramp forming in his hand. While doing so, he quickly read through what was written on the sheet of paper before him.

 _She was mysterious, with eyes of the lightest shade of blue known to man. Her wild, light blonde hair resembled the proud untamed mane of a lion. Her ivory skin glistened and practically lit up the entire dark chasm. They both stood face to face. Samson's instincts seized control over his entire body and made him back into what felt like a wall. It was hard to tell what with the only light being the glow emitting from this Enchantress' face. Samson's trembling hands were still formed as a cross in front of his face._

 _He lowered them as his green eyes widened in realization about who this woman could be._

 _"You're really her, aren't you? You're_

As Sam tried to think of a good name for his Enchantress, the piece of paper was immediately snatched away from him and then resided in the sweaty palms of Jack Milton who smiled deviously to himself.

"Give it back!" He mouthed with rage so he wouldn't alarm Mrs. Ryan. Needless to say, he was in no mood to be reprimanded by her for the second time today.

Jack Milton, being the cocky, obnoxious, immature boy that he was, cupped his hand to his ear and mouthed the words _"I can't hear you"._ Sam sighed to himself and took the other sheet of paper and straighter it in front of him. Before he could resume writing, however, he looked to his left and out to the window where he saw nothing but the school gardens and the main crossroads behind the gates. He noticed something that looked like a pale smudge in the distance. He decided that it was simply a patch of fog and nothing more. A second glance, however, made him realize that it was more than that. He saw half of it move and then it seemed as if it was coming closer to him. Sam looked around and noticed that everyone was either scribbling on their pieces of paper or asleep with their pencils in their hands in hope to fool Mrs. Ryan who had her nose stuck in all exercise books of younger English students.

He leaned to his side and pushed the window open even further and held his hand out slightly. This made the creature come even closer. He soon realized it was a barn owl with very unusual and distinctive marks across the chest. Not to mention the small black flicks at the end of each dark eye and the luminous silver streaks across its head. Something about the owl just made him see that it was indeed a girl.

He heard a shuffle from the front of the room and noticed Mrs. Ryan kept fidgeting in her chair while she was marking the exercise books. Samuel looked out the window again to find that the owl was gone. He studied the whole of the school gardens and couldn't find her. He decided to sit up straight in his seat before Mrs. Ryan looked up. He'd had enough scolding for today.

As he sat back at his desk, he flipped the extra piece of paper over and took out a blunt piece of graphite from the pocket on his jeans. He began to sketch a light outline of the barn owl from before. His sighting of her was only brief so he constantly closed his eyes and tried to remember the unique characteristics of her. The ruffled ivory feathers that made up her face; her dark brown eyes with the minute black flicks extending from each outer side; the tiny distinctive oval-shaped marks across her chest with a mixture of black and silver marks.

He became lost in the drawing and the sounds of pencil scratching that he didn't dare stop until a furious Mrs. Ryan snatched the piece of paper away from him. She looked at the picture for a moment and then held it up in front of him.

"So this is all my lesson is to you? First, you show up late and then have the audacity to dismiss your opportunity to redeem yourself by scribbling all this god awful nonsense?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the whole class once again struggling to hold in their laughter which caused them to turn redder than their burgundy seats.

"Go stand outside." She spat. Sam huffed and gathered his piece of graphite and backpack. He slammed the door behind him as he left the classroom. The same wave of poorly attempted stifled laughter resounded, even through the closed door. It didn't die down until Mrs. Ryan turned around to yell 'silence', demanding them to be quiet.

Samuel threw himself against the wall and sank to the ground as he let out a frustrated grunt. He looked out the windows to his side that were the height of the floor to the ceiling. The sight outside was just as dull as ever. He overlooked the car park and beyond the trees where it looked as if the same owl from before was coming to him again. It perched on the outside windowsill. Owls usually kept their heads moving around in whichever directions but this one, in particular, had her eyes focused on Sam. She started making the most unusual call. It didn't even sound like a bird call. Almost like.. words. Like she was actually speaking to him. She was beginning to sound clearer to him. As if the window wasn't there anymore.

"Soon.." she chirped. Sam turned his head away, thinking he was suddenly delusional. It didn't stop her calling to him, however. At least not until the classroom door opened again. The owl flew away within the blink of an eye. Sam stood upright hoping to not be scolded for his posture. Mrs. Ryan sighed before speaking.

"What do you have to say for yourself this time Samuel?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ryan," Sam muttered. Mrs. Ryan took out the piece of paper from before and handed it back to him.

"I must say, as disrespectful as you were, that is quite an exquisite drawing. Reminds me of Mr. King."

"Who's he?" Samuel asked as he held the piece of paper under his arm.

"He used to be the old Performing Arts teacher. He was quite intent on being an actor himself. It was his everyday passion really."

"And did he?"

"Unfortunately not. Looks like we can't always get what we wish for. He settled down, however. Lovely wife, she was. She passed away nearly nine years ago now. He went to live in a retirement home. He said his house didn't feel like home anymore without his Maggie. They didn't have any children either so as you can imagine, he probably gets quite lonely up there."

"I'm sorry," Sam said.

"Don't be. He was a bit of a loony. All he could talk about was that bloody owl. He said it wasn't even an owl, and that it was some sort of witch or enchantress. He wrote a play about the whole thing. They're actually thinking of bringing it back out since it has been twenty years since he retired. If you're interested, you can always go and speak to one of the girls or even Mark if he's in."

"OK. I'll do that." Sam grinned slightly.

"Wipe that grin off your face, now. Try and look a bit, you know, like you've just been shouted at again. I understand that you have to look after your sister most nights, so I'll let this slide. But **just** this once." Sam nodded, indicating he understood. His grin disappeared and turned into a frustrated frown. He lowered his head before walking back into the classroom.

Later that day, the school bell rang that finally meant it was time to go home. There probably wasn't a student who didn't hurry down the corridors to get outside. Well, all but Sam.

He lingered in the corridors for a while, making sure to check out every window in sight, looking for the owl again. She wasn't there, however. Sam decided he was just imagining it.

He walked downstairs and stopped by at the Drama Studio and saw Mandy writing in her floral notebook. She welcomed him in with a warm smile.

"Sam! How are ya, man?" She asked with joy.

"I'm good, I'm good. Mrs. Ryan told me about the play and I was thinking if I could maybe... audition?" He asked as he stepped further into the room.

"Sure! Here." She pushed her seat away from the desk and reached up for a box of scripts marked **LABYRINTH.** She handed him a script, smiling as she did so. She noticed his interest. She took a script for herself and had a quick look.

"I read Jaryn's, you read Samson's?" She asked. Sam smiled and threw his backpack down in an attempt to get into character with "Samson".


	2. Chapter 2 - Audition

Sam cleared his throat as he stood in front of Mandy. He had a quick look at the lines on page twenty-four. At first, he thought he was hallucinating.

Suddenly, the small piece he had written this morning came flashing back into his mind. It was as if Mr. King shared the same mind as Sam. He blinked repeatedly as he looked over the lines on the script. Mandy noticed his silence.

"You OK, Sam-Sam?" Mandy asked, grinning as she knew his reaction to that nickname.

"What? Oh! Um.. y-yeah, I-I'm fine." He started to read the line next to the name written in bold, **SAMSON.**

"My God! You're really her, aren't you? The Goblin Queen."

"Princess, actually." Mandy said in a very posh and somewhat degrading tone.

"Where's my sister?" Sam asked slowly, really taking the character of Samson in.

"You know very well where she is. You wished for it, didn't you?"

"W-what? N-no! I didn't mean it!"

"Oh, you didn't?" Mandy asked sarcastically, grinning at Sam's entertainment and passion as he read through the lines. The audition continued for at least another full ten minutes. Sam went to hand the script back to Mandy.

"If you're going to play the lead role, don't you think you ought to learn your lines?" Mandy smiled. Sam looked at the script, then at Mandy and he grinned.

"Thanks, Mandy. I'd, uh, better go. See you in a bit!" He called as he left the room. He crammed the script into his backpack and hurried out into the corridors. As he got outside, he stretched out his arm so his sleeve rolled down and he could see what time it was.

5:57. He didn't realize he had been THAT long. He hurried out of the school gates and paused for a moment. He looked down the road that led back to his house, but then down another road that took him to the park. He was already late coming home anyway, so he turned right and passed through the gates of the park. He came running over the stone bridge that was built over a gentle lake which was also home to a small family of ducks.

He took off his backpack and recited the lines what he could remember from rehearsing with Mandy.

"Give me the child," he began.

"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the-"

"Oh, here he is! Back at it again in fantasyland!" Jack Milton snorted. One of his sweaty friends burst out laughing. Sam then noticed the empty beer can in his hand. He hurled it at Sam but he ducked and it landed in the lake below the bridge.

"Leave me alone, Jack. Haven't you got anything better to do than to piss me off all the time? Go torment your mom for all I care, just leave me alone!"

"At least I have a mom. Not my fault yours ran off with some freak!"

"That's not true!" He yelled. He could feel himself turning red. A fire ignited within his gut and he felt that if he didn't do something soon, it would burn him alive.

"Answering back." He tutted, obviously mocking him.

"Looks like his mommy didn't teach him any manners before she abandoned him either!" One of Jack's friends said. He stepped closer to Sam. He noticed he had an empty beer bottle in his hand. He realized he intended to swing it at him. He dodged too late and the bottle smashed against his cheek. Sam fell to the ground in pain. He felt his own warm blood trickle down his face and on to the grass beneath him. Before he could get back up, however, another sharp blow impacted in his back and he fell to the ground again. Jack came up to him so they were face to face. With one hand, he grabbed Sam's hair and with the other, he punched him repeatedly in his face. Sam cried out in pain which he instantly regretted since was given hysterical jeers in return. He felt a searing pain in the back of his head as Jack's sweaty hand gripped his hair and prepared to punch him in the face as Sam closed his eyes as he knew what was to come next.

He waited and waited for Jack to punch him as he realized there was no getting away from him now but he opened his eyes as he felt Jack let go of his hair and saw Jack screaming, as he rolled on the grass in front of him. Sam got back up and saw Jack putting his hands up as an act of defense against what looked like an owl. Of all creatures. Sam grabbed his backpack and luckily didn't have to worry about Jack's goons attacking him since they were all either bursting out in laughter or filming Jack rolling on the ground on their phones.

Sam crossed the stone bridge over the lake and turned right into a small forest where he normally came after school anyway. He leaned against a tree and unzipped his jacket, rolled it up into a ball to dab at the blood that still ran down his face. He put the jacket in his backpack and dodged a few trees as he slowly came closer to the other side of the forest. He paused however as he heard rustling around him. He felt his stomach churn with angst as he tried to wonder what was causing it. Initially, he decided that paranoia was getting the best of him until he heard the same rustling again.

"Who's there?" He finally called out. He knew that the noise wasn't a susurration of leaves that were picked up in a shift of the wind. Someone had to be there with him. Sam grabbed the nearest thing to him which was an old branch. He prepared to lunge it at the next thing that he saw which only ended up to be his English Sheepdog Merlin who leaped over the logs and barked excitedly at the sight of Sam. He jumped back and fell to the ground. Merlin licked his cheek and wagged his tail as he rested both of his forepaws on Sam.

"God Merlin, you scared me!" Sam said as he threw the stick aside and sat back up. Merlin weaved around him, panting in exuberance. Sam ran his hand through Merlin's fur on his side.

"You been chasing squirrels again?" He laughed. Merlin barked which Samuel took as a yes. He rolled his eyes and helped himself up.

"Come on. I'm already late getting back as it is." Sam said as he clicked his fingers, indicating Merlin to follow him as they crossed at least five main roads to get back "home."


	3. Chapter 3 - Charles

Sam took a breath and stopped by the porch. He felt heavy drops of rain on his back which flowed even heavier and soaked his hair and clothes completely. He pointed at the side of the house where a small shed was.

"You know what happened last time, Merlin. No way am I letting him hit you like that again. Go on, good boy." Merlin shook the rainwater off of him and pushed the shed door open and curled up to fall asleep.

Sam, however was very hesitant to go inside. He wanted to be anywhere right now but here. Nonetheless, he inhaled deeply and let himself in. Gasping, Sam slammed the door shut behind him. He leaned against it for a minute until he heard the heavy footsteps of his stepfather, Charles from around the corner.

"Where've you been, then?" He asked Sam in a gruff voice. Sam didn't bother answering him and instead went to walk right past him. Charles gripped his shoulder tightly.

"I asked you a goddamn question!"

"I was at school, alright!"

"It's ten past seven! Even a little worm like you isn't THAT slow!"

"Whatever." Sam hurried upstairs and into the bathroom. He ran the shower at a lukewarm temperature, undressed and stepped in. He gasped as he felt the water splash on the bruises, cuts and grazes on his body. It stung like wasps but it was nothing compared to getting beat up by the bullies. Or Charles.

He came out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist and slammed his bedroom door behind him. He found a white t-shirt (that had a couple of tears in the bottom) and an old pair of black jeans he'd wear when going grocery shopping. When he finally thought he could rest for a couple of minutes, he heard his three year old sister Hannah crying and screaming from next door. Sam groaned and screamed into his pillow. He took the closest thing in reach (which was his empty glass from last night) and hurled it at the wall. Tiny fragments of glass dropped to the floor and the screaming carried on.

"God, Hannah just shut up!" Sam yelled. He jumped off the bed and walked to the wall where his door was. Repeatedly, he kicked the wall until he was finally told to shut up by Charles. He locked the door so he couldn't burst in and hit him again. The crying soon died down but then there was a pounding on Sam's bedroom door.

"Go away!" Sam yelled.

"Open the door, Sam! I mean it!"

"What do you want?"

"I've gotta go out for a bit so that means you're looking after Hannah. She's fast asleep. I'll be back later." Frustrated, Sam opened the door to his stepfather.

"I'm not looking after her again!" Sam said furiously.

"Is that so?" Charles questioned. Sam knew what he was about to do, but he didn't dare to run from him.

Charles brought his hand up and smacked Sam across the face. He fell to the floor with the impact and winced slightly. He felt another sharp hit in the back of his head and he cried out.

"Don't you dare start crying, you little wimp! Or would you rather I go in that bedroom and break that little brat's arm?" Charles spat in his face as he leaned down to him.

"You wouldn't dare! Your own daughter? Good parenting." Sam said sarcastically after spitting out drops of his own blood.

"I didn't even want the kid, so don't you dare test me!"

Charles grabbed Sam by the back of his hair and brought him back up so he could spit in his face even more as he berated him. Sam suffered severe pains in his ribs and legs as Charles kicked him into the wall repeatedly. Sam couldn't help but cry out and hated himself for the tears that started to drip down his face.

"Pathetic." Charles said coldly as he saw Sam weeping on the floor, holding his head in his trembling hands. The same crying from before started again from the next door bedroom.

"YOU can see to the little freak." Charles said as he left Sam weeping, bleeding, shaking on the landing. The door slammed shut behind Charles and Sam flinched a little. He grabbed on to the cold radiator to help himself up. He winced loudly as he felt a harsh, stabbing pain in his legs.

"I hate this!" Sam yelled. He limped to the master bedroom where Hannah lay screaming in the cot. He pushed the door open and saw his old teddy bear, Lancelot, on the floor. Sure, a sixteen year old boy may not care so much about an old teddy bear, but this one was special. It was one of the few things (including Merlin) he had left from his mother before she died.

He picked up the bear and looked at the crying three year old, standing up in her cot.

"God! I hate him! I hate **YOU**! I **HATE** YOU!" Thunder boomed along with the lightning striking outside. Hannah wailed even louder.

"God, someone get me OUT of this goddamn place!" He screamed.

"What do you want, Hannah? Do you want a story? Huh? OK." Sam walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Once upon a time, there was a young boy whose evil stepdad always made him look after his wimp of a sister! This kid was a spoiled girl and got everything she had ever wanted. She'd do anything if it meant she would get her big brother in trouble." Sam wiped his tears away and managed to get into the story even more. He knew it wasn't calming Hannah down, but he honestly didn't care anymore.

"What this boy didn't know, however, was that the Goblin Queen had fallen in love with this boy. And with this love, she had given him certain powers." Sam walked up to the mirror and stared at the cuts and bruises across his face.

"So one night," he continued. "When it all seemed too much for him, he used his powers to call on the goblins for help."

"'Say your right words,' the goblins said." Sam began in a menacing voice. "'And we will take the baby to our kingdom, and you will be free!'" Sam turned away from the mirror and walked up to Hannah's cot where she was still blubbering and using her forearm to wipe her eyes and runny nose.

"But the boy knew that if he handed the baby over, the goblins would keep the baby in their castle for ever and ever where they could turn it into a hideous little goblin. And out of fear, the boy suffered in silence." He watched Hannah snivel and listened to her whimpers along with the thunder.

"That was until one night when the boy was hurt from being beaten up after school and his stepfather, he could no longer stand it." Hannah screamed even louder and Sam sighed.

"Oh alright, alright!" Sam took Hannah out of her cot and rocked her from side to side but it didn't help.

"Come on Hannah knock it off! Just stop it, stop it! I'll say the words!" He warned, hoping she'd finally calm down but she gripped his shirt tightly and hit him in his arm where a bruise was. He winced.

"No, I can't say them. I can't say..." he thought for a moment and prayed from the bottom of his heart that what he was about to wish for now would come true.

"I wish that... I wish.." he was cut off by Hannah's incessant crying and he held her up high.

"I can't bare it anymore with you! Goblin Queen, Goblin Queen!" He cried out. "Wherever you may be, take this horrible child far away from me!" He paused, hoping she would really appear in front of him and take Hannah away from him, but he was still holding the slobbering, whimpering baby up above him.

"Oh Hannah shut up!" He yelled as he brought her back down.

"I wish... I wish..." Instead of trying again, he watched Hannah cry and set her back down in her cot. He pulled her pink fleece blanket over her but she kicked it off anyway and tried to stand back up. Sam walked to the end of the room and turned back to her.

"You know something, Hannah? I wish the goblins WOULD come and take you away. Right now." Sam said coldly, as he flicked the light switch up and the entire bedroom went dark, with no light shining but the constant lightning that struck outside. He left the master bedroom and before he could go back to his own, he noticed Hannah had stopped crying.


	4. Chapter 4 - Such A Pity

Sam cautiously stepped back into the bedroom and felt an awful, guilty feeling growing within his stomach. He tried to call out for Hannah but the words remained trapped in his throat which dried up out of fear. He kept his eyes focused on the cot where Hannah was (supposed to be) sleeping.

"Hannah?" He asked and then swallowed.

"Hannah? Are you alright?" It's not like he was expecting her to talk back since she was only three, but he still had hope that she would jump out from under the blanket and shout 'boo' like she did once when he was feeding her.

But she didn't. He reached for the switch on the wall. He flicked it up and down repeatedly but the light didn't turn on. He tried to naturally assume that the bulb had popped or a fuse had blown with the storm but then (internally) scolded himself for being so stupid.

"Hannah, sweetheart? Why aren't you crying?" He asked. Admittedly, he was frustrated with her shrieks piercing his eardrums, but at that moment, he would have (oddly) given anything to hear her scream and wail again. Anything that let him know she was OK. But she didn't. Sam took baby steps to the cot and stood above the blanket for a minute before peeling it back and finding that Hannah was gone. He gasped and felt as if he couldn't breathe anymore. His eyes shot all around the bedroom and then at the doors that led to the balcony. He saw that same owl outside, pecking the glass and clawing at the door handle. Almost as if she was telling Sam to let her in. He stood there, still shocked and petrified over where Hannah could be. The thunder outside boomed louder than ever which made Sam fall back on the carpet in fear. He shielded his head as he heard the doors in front of him open and didn't move them until he saw a slender silhouette forming across the carpet. He looked up and saw... a girl.

She was mysterious, with eyes of the lightest shade of blue known to man. Her wild, light blonde hair resembled the proud, untamed mane of a lion. Her ivory skin glistened and practically lit up the entire dark room.

Sam lowered his hands in realization.

"You're really her. Aren't you? You're Jaryn, you're the Goblin Queen!" He cried.

"Princess, actually." She grinned. Sam stood up straight and breathed deeply as an attempt to calm his pounding heart.

"I want my sister back! Where is she?!" He yelled.

"What's said is said, Sam." She said, coldly.

"What do you- no! No, no, no! I didn't mean that!" He said astounded that his wish actually came true. For once.

"Oh. You didn't?" Jaryn raised her eyebrows as a form of mockery towards his hysterical remarks.

"Please! Where is she?" Sam's voice started to break. He swallowed the huge lump forming in his throat before he felt he was about to suffocate and tried to regain his composure.

"You know very well where she is, Sam." Jaryn crossed her arms. Amusement was blatant in her voice as she spoke further.

"Just bring her back! Please!" He begged. Jaryn stepped closer to him and with every step she took, Sam took tiny steps back, fearing she was about to do something drastic to him.

"Sam, just go back to your room. Play with your toys and your costumes. Just forget about the baby." She pointed over to the bedroom door which still remained slightly open. Sam's tear-filled eyes met Jaryn's unique, green and blue ones. He shook his head.

"I can't." He said quietly. Jaryn held up her hand.

"I have a gift for you." A small, spherical, transparent orb appeared in the palm of her hand.

"What is it?" He asked, pretending to show interest. He hoped that if he did, Jaryn would give Hannah back to him.

"Just a crystal. Nothing more." She twirled her hand around and the crystal danced within it. Sam kept his focus on the way it rolled around her hand.

"But if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams. You see, this is not a gift for an ordinary boy who looks after a screaming baby." Sam remained silent. She held it up to him as she could tell he was intrigued.

"Do you want it?" She took his sorrowful silence as a yes.

"Then just forget the baby." She said as if it was that simple.

"I can't. I.. I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but.. please! I-I just want my sister back. She's probably so scared-" Jaryn's calm expression formed into a more frustrated and impatient one. She called his name which sounded like a warning and the crystal turned into a snake that weaved within the fingers of her black glove. She stretched it out and looked at Sam with furious eyes.

"Don't defy me." She said calmly and threw the little snake at his neck. He screamed and threw it on the floor.

"You're clearly no match for me, Sam."

"But I need to have my sister back!" He yelled. Jaryn rolled her eyes and stepped outside.

"She's there. In my castle." She pointed to a distant building that was surrounded by an outstretched and complicated maze. Sam silently groaned.

"Do you still want to look for her?" Jaryn asked. Sam turned around to find that his house had disappeared and they were standing in a desert-like place.

"Turn back Sam. Turn back before it's too late."

"I can't. Don't you understand that I can't?" Jaryn didn't answer and instead replied: "What a pity." She stepped closer to Sam who had his back turned as he studied the maze.

"It doesn't look that far." He said.

"It's further than you think. Time is short." Jaryn pointed to a tree that had a gothic looking clock with the numbers 1 to 13 going around.

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby sister becomes one of us. Forever. Such a pity." Her final words echoed and Sam realized he was now all alone. He sighed and took one final look at the maze before finally running downhill to find an entrance.


	5. Chapter 5 - Haggle

Sam could just about see the wall that stood between him and the maze. He paused for a minute and looked to his left and saw that it was already sunrise. He turned to the right as he heard a frustrated groan and then a mumbled curse. He saw a stout, lumpy-faced troll kick at least five stones in the air and made them splash into a little pond. He stepped back a little once he saw the little troll see him. The troll gasped slightly and ran behind a rock. Sam naturally assumed that it cowered away, but instead, it came back out with an odd wooden device and pointed it at Sam.

"Back! Back ya fiend!" It yelled in a rather coarse and British sounding voice. Its voice was a clear indication that the little troll was, in fact, a girl.

"I said get back!" She charged at Sam and thumped him in the knee with the device.

"Ah!" He cried. "For God's sake!" He mumbled. He backed away from the troll and proceeded to walk away. The troll grumbled. She used the device again to hit Sam in the back. Due to the impact being quite unexpected, he just about managed to stop himself from falling into the little pond. Out of annoyance, he turned back around to see the troll load the device with God knows what.

"I haven't got time for this!" Sam huffed and walked around the pond carefully. He felt something wet spread on the back of his forearm. He turned his arm and found a blue spot forming on his forearm. Almost like dye.

"What, am I supposed to be scared of water or somethin'?" He snorted, feeling pretty clever. The troll huffed and loaded the device again.

"Actually, it's poison. It's **EXTREMELY** corrosive, hence the veins on your arm burstin'." Sam looked at her worriedly and then back at his arm.

"Well, why else would your arm look blue?" Sam felt around his arm and tried to wipe the substance off, but it felt permanent. He started to panic and poked his arm to see if he could feel anything. He looked up to hear the most peculiar laugh he'd ever heard. The troll nearly fell over due to laughing raucously.

"Only kiddin' ya know." She hurried over to Sam and asked him to lower his head so she could whisper to him.

"It's only dye. Don't tell _them_ that though." She hinted at a little swarm of fairies with hair and dresses of all different colors. Sam admired them for a minute and thought back to when he was little and how his mother would tell him stories about fantasy creatures. Sam's favorite stories were ALWAYS those of fairies.

He stepped closer to them and reached out to hold one when it suddenly fell to the ground.

"Fifty-seven!" The troll shouted in celebration after spraying it to the ground. Sam gasped.

"What the hell? Why would you do that?" Sam asked as the troll kicked sand over it. Sam kneeled down and picked it back up.

"You're a little monster... AH! Did... did that just bite me?" Sam dropped the fairy as he felt a sharp nip in his finger. He checked over his finger for blood.

"It's called DYE for a reason. So 'orrible little things like those DIE." She kicked even more sand over the fairy.

"What were ya expectin' the fairy to do anyway? Grant wishes?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well... yeah," Sam said, now feeling stupid.

"Humans. Just shows what you all know then, don't it?" She sprayed another fairy to the ground.

"Fifty-eight!" She cackled.

"Why are you so horrible?" He asked.

"I'm not. The name's HAGGLE. What about you anyway? What's your name?"

"Sam."

"Course it is." Haggle stalked after another fairy and prepared to shoot but saw that the device was empty. Sam followed her.

"Look, I have to find my sister. Do you know where the door to the Labyrinth is?" Haggle scurried over back to the fairies.

"Maybe, AH! Fifty-nine."

"Well, where is it?"

"Sixty! HA!" Haggle jumped in the air for celebration.

"I said where is it?" Sam asked impatiently, still following her.

"Where's what?"

"The door!"

"What door?" Haggle giggled. It was clear she was being sarcastic just to get on his nerves.

"God! It's hopeless asking you anything, isn't it?" Sam huffed.

"No. Not if ya ask the right questions." Haggle stalked after another little fairy.

"How do I get into the Labyrinth?" Sam asked, finally. And with that, Haggle turned around.

"That's more like it. You gets in there." She pointed to one part of the wall which soon stood out to look like doors opening as an entrance. Sam felt really uneasy already but knew what he had to do. For Hannah's sake. The doors thudded against the walls behind them and Sam gulped a little before slowly walking inside.

"Wow. You're, uh, really goin' in there, are you?" Haggle asked, astounded.

"Yeah. I have to." Sam nibbled on the inside of his bottom lip slightly and finally walked in. The entrance was another wall and two pathways on either side of him. He contemplated over which way to go as they both looked exactly the same. He then felt something heavy tap him. He called out in fright and saw that it was Haggle behind him.

"Cosy, isn't it?" She did the same peculiar laugh and stood in front of Sam.

"Well then, left or right?" Sam once again had another look at both pathways and sighed.

"They both look the same." Haggle snorted.

"Well you ain't gonna get very far are ya?"

"Well, which way would you go?" He asked.

"Me? Ha! I've met who's got your sister. I wouldn't go **either** way." Sam sighed again.

"You know if you're not gonna help me just go away." Haggle sighed in annoyance and kicked the wall behind her.

"You take too much for granted, ya know that? This Labyrinth, for example. Even if ya **do** reach the center and get your little sister back, you'll never get out of it." Sam ignored her completely and went to walk down the pathway on his right.

"That's your opinion then." He said.

"Yeah, and it's a lot better than yours." She walked over to the doors again.

"Thanks for nothing, Hagface," Sam said before turning around again.

"Urgh, it's **HAGGLE**! And **don't** say I didn't warn you." She ran out of the doors and they slammed behind her, causing Sam to jump. He thought nothing of it and proceeded to walk down his chosen pathway.

 _'I'm coming, Hannah.'_


	6. Chapter 6 - One Of Us

Sam felt as if he had been walking for hours as he just about realized he had been walking in a straight line ever since he started his journey. Impatience was getting the best of him and he started to run down the pathway, dodging sticks, rocks, and twigs that stuck out from the brick walls. He paused however and thumped the wall, yelling out as he did so. Frustratedly, he leaned against a wall and sat down. He felt he was getting nowhere by now in this _"Labyrinth."_

"Hullo." A weird voice said. Sam looked all around and on his left, he saw a small worm perched on a small ledge. Sam blinked twice to make sure he wasn't hallucinating and then dared himself to talk to it.

"Did.. did you just say 'hello?'" He asked.

"No, I said 'hello'. But, ya know, close enough." Sam looked at the little creature quizzically.

"Are you a worm?" He asked.

"Yeah! S'right!" The little worm replied. Sam couldn't believe he was going to ask, but he felt as if it was his only option right now.

"You don't, by any chance, know how to get to the center of this Labyrinth, do you?" He asked, hopefully.

"Who, me? Nah, I'm just a worm." It shook its little head and its wild blue hair waved around with it. Sam sighed.

"Come inside and meet the missus." The little worm turned its head to a little hole in the wall next to him.

"That's very kind but I have to solve this labyrinth. But there aren't even any turns or openings or.. ANYTHING! It just goes on and on!"

"What are you talkin' about? It's **FULL** of openings. It's just that you ain't seein' 'em."

"What? Where?" Sam asked.

"There's one there, just in front of ya." Sam looked in front of him and saw nothing but a wall.

"No there isn't." He said.

"Come inside and have a nice cup o' tea." The worm said.

"But there isn't an opening," Sam said.

"Of course there is. Try walkin' through it. You'll see what I mean." Sam stood up to get closer to the wall and felt around it slightly but saw no change within its form.

"That's just... a wall. There's no way through." Sam said.

"Things ain't always how they seem in this place. You can't ever take anythin' for granted." Sam put both hands up to the wall and saw that it felt quite farther than he expected. He smiled to himself and went to walk left.

"Ha-hang on!" The worm called. Sam came back and smiled at the worm.

"Thanks, that was really helpful!" Sam said but was called back again.

"Sorry?" He asked.

"I said don't go that way! Never go that way!" Sam looked to his right and carried on down that way.

"Thanks." He said. He came to a very odd-looking maze. He didn't really care about how it looked anymore though. He was just thankful he'd finally stopped walking down an eerie looking brick corridor.

As he cautiously ambled through the maze, he made sure to keep his eye on the castle so he'd have an idea of where he was. An uneasy feeling spread within his stomach as he heard the shrill cries and screams of Hannah.

"Hannah..." he said to himself. He saw the castle and slowly understood why Hannah would be scared. "I'm coming, Hannah." His nimbleness soon drifted into drastic darting through any openings he could see. With every step, he prayed that he was getting close to the castle but realized he was still hopeless with his sense of direction. He silently cursed himself for wishing this in the first place as he stopped to take a deep breath. Hannah's shrieks rang through his ears again and Sam closed his eyes. He wasn't about to cry. Not now.

He kneeled down and leaned against a wall and reached for the neck of his t-shirt and looked down at his small steel black crucifix on his chest that bounced off his chest each time his heart pounded. He ran his thumb over the crucifix that dangled from a black chain around his neck. He mumbled silent pleas to himself.

"Please keep her safe, Mom. Please." He whispered, over and over. He twirled the little crucifix between his thumb and index finger. All he could think of anymore was his mother. He remembered sitting on her knee in their old apartment and playing with the same cross that was around her neck.

* * *

 _"I wish I had that necklace, Mommy." The four-year-old Sam said._

 _"Well, one day, when you're a bit bigger." His mother said gently as she took his tiny hands in hers. Sam smiled a little at the memory and stood up straight on the arm of the couch._

 _"I'm bigger now. Can I have the necklace now Mommy?" His mother laughed and tickled his tubby belly until he fell into her arms and soon fell asleep on her knee._

* * *

am found himself wiping a single tear away and noticed he had become too lost within the thought of his mother. He stood back up, wiping any dust off the back of his jeans and carried on trying to find a way to the castle. As he felt he was getting close, however, he stepped back in fright and felt a sharp peck on his head. He looked all around him to see a dark crow perched on a ledge above him. It cawed loudly and he jumped a little. As if the entirety of the Labyrinth didn't unnerve him enough, but one of his biggest fears (since he was at least seven) was perched right above his head. He turned left and saw that the crow was no longer there, however. He sighed and just decided that he was slowly going insane. He had already been imagining little trolls and worms could talk, why not pretend to see crows all around him?

He found himself at another dead end and was sure that he could hear what sounded like music and singing. It was blatant that the singing was Jaryn. He became even more worried when he realized that his little sister was in that same place. The sooner he found her, the better. He kneeled down to one of the stones below him and took out an old piece of graphite out of his pocket and drawn a little arrow pointing upwards before moving on. He did the same thing on a couple more stones until he found another dead end.

* * *

 **JARYN'S CASTLE**

Jaryn bounced Hannah on her knee and sang along with her goblins to her. She tickled Hannah's chubby cheek which made her squeal in laughter. Hannah turned around and ran her little hand through Jaryn's wild hair. She held it in her fist and twirled it around. Jaryn (being known as the obnoxious Goblin Princess) smiled all the same and embraced her new messy braid in one of the locks in her hair. Hannah clapped her hands in delight. Jaryn smiled and lifted her up to make it seem as if she was flying. Hannah both screamed and laughed as Jaryn spun her around the room. Jaryn fixed so that Hannah was sitting on her shoulders. Hannah reached around Jaryn's head and put both of her hands around her eyes. Jaryn laughed and reached behind her head to use her thumbs to tickle Hannah in her armpits.

She soon took Hannah off of her shoulders and sat on her throne with Hannah snuggling into Jaryn's ruffled, white blouse.

She would have let Hannah sleep but she heard a loud screech of one of the goblins that came running into the castle.

"Princess!" The little goblin kneeled before Jaryn and took a deep breath before speaking.

"What is it, Elodie?" Jaryn asked impatiently.

"The Queen... she's coming!" Elodie replied frantically. Jaryn inhaled sharply and handed Hannah over to one of the goblins.

"All of you, kneel. NOW!" Jaryn commanded and kneeled down with the rest of them. She looked to the side and saw one of the nursing maids hide Hannah in a crevice in the wall behind a tapestry. Jaryn looked to the ground and waited for the door to open. It flew open, banging against the walls behind it as it did so. Jaryn jumped a little but waited for the Queen to invite herself in.

"Oh, please! None of you stop working on my account." The Queen said, inviting everyone to stand back up. The goblins did and so did Jaryn, but she was pulled back by the Queen.

"Not you." She said coldly.

"Sorry, Mother- your Majesty." Jaryn said quickly. She looked at the Queen carefully only to be rewarded with a scornful look.

"You've been talking to mortals again. I always knew my daughter was stupid but even THIS is a bit careless on your behalf." The Queen spat. Jaryn knew what happened to mortals if the Queen ever found one roaming the Labyrinth, but she wouldn't allow it. Not **this** time.

"But... what about my coming of age? After all, I _am_ sixteen. The Queen narrowed her eyes as she studied Jaryn's nervous expression.

"About time." The Queen said after an extensive pause. "Looks like you're not a complete fool after all. I'll be back tonight. **DON'T** mess this up, Jaryn." The Queen pointed her finger at Jaryn and she nodded. The Queen left the castle and the doors slammed behind her. There wasn't a single goblin that didn't stare at Jaryn.

"Oh knock it off." Jaryn smiled. She walked over to the tapestry and pulled it back to find Hannah yell 'PEEKABOO'. She jumped in Jaryn's arms and was carried back to the throne.

"I know, Hannah. Do you want to see your big brother?" Jaryn asked as she rolled a crystal down her arm and into her hand.

"Sammy!" Hannah squealed. Jaryn threw the crystal in the air and it landed back in her hand only this time, it showed Sam kneeling in a dark pit.

"He's in the Oubliette." Jaryn said quietly. All the goblins around her laughed.

"Shut up! I would've thought he'd have given up by now."

"He'll NEVER give up." Elodie said, over her shoulder.

"Won't he? That little dwarf is about to lead him back to the beginning. He'll soon give up when he realizes he has to start all over again." She chuckled and noticed the goblins silence.

"Well, laugh." She ordered and they all did so. Jaryn looked at Hannah and joined in laughing with them all. She threw the crystal back up in the air as she did so.


	7. Chapter 7 - Oubliette

"This isn't fair!" Sam yelled and thrashed about in the small space, hoping he would soon feel a door. He gasped slightly and all his movements stopped. Sam knew he was slowly going crazy but was certain that he could hear footsteps around him. He dared himself to call out.

"Who's there?" He asked.

"Me." A deep voice said which only made Sam worry even more. A little spark lit a candle on an old looking iron lamp. He saw a little stumpy hand clutching the handle and exhaled in relief once he saw Haggle's face.

"Oh, it's you." He said and helped himself up. He had a little look around where he was exactly now that he wasn't in such a dark pit. Haggle grumbled.

"Yeah, well, I knew you were about to get lost. Sooner or later. So I thought I'd come and help you." She noticed Sam's silence.

"Oh, you're very welcome." She said. "NOW you start lookin' around. It's an Oubliette. Labyrinth's full of 'em." She explained.

"How would you know?" Sam asked as he took another look around the room.

"Don't try and sound smart. Bet ya don't even know what an Oubliette _is_." She set the lamp down frustratedly and pointed her finger at Sam in order to make him sound stupid or (in her words) give him a taste of his own medicine.

"Do you?" Haggle smiled.

"Yeah. It's a place to put people to forget about 'em." Sam furrowed his brow and hoped she was joking. She didn't say anything however and picked the lamp back up.

"Anyway, seems to me that you need a way out of the WHOLE Labyrinth. Being a dwarf, you get around the place a lot. So it just so happens that I know a shortcut out of here."

"Are you out of your mind?! I'm not giving up on Hannah. Not now, not ever! I've come too far to just leave her here." He said with disgust. How was giving up even an option anymore? Sam sighed and looked at the ground.

"I-I'm doing OK." He said, trying to have some pride in his actions.

"Of course you are. But this place CAN be dangerous. Trust me." She held his wrist and he didn't make any motion to move it away. He then noticed her concern however and smirked a little.

"Why are you so worried about me all of a sudden?" Haggle's eyes widened.

"Oh, uh... y-you know... nice young boy, a scary black Oubliette..." She turned away from him. Sam grinned a little once he saw that Haggle's witty and feisty side had turned all nervous and awkward. He looked on the belt across Haggle's shoulder and saw that it was covered in trinkets, gadgets, scraps and even bits of jewelry. He felt around his pocket and looked at her.

"You like jewelry, don't you?" Haggle turned around and he kneeled down, knowing that he had her full attention.

"Why?" She asked.

"If you help me find my sister, I'll give you this." He held up a tiny bracelet made out of a green pipe cleaner. Haggle was in blatant awe at the sight of it but still looked away.

"You don't like it?" Sam asked, even though he knew she did.

"It's... uh... so-so."

"Oh. OK." Sam went to put the bracelet back in his pocket when Haggle stopped him.

"Uh.. tell you what: how 'bout you give me that bracelet and THEN I'll help you."

"You were gonna do that anyway!" Sam claimed.

"Yeah, well... think of it as a nice gesture. You know.. on your part obviously." Sam kneeled down.

"No. Look I'll tell you what, if you won't take me to the castle, just take me as far as you can and then I'll do it on my own." Haggle took another look at the bracelet.

"I can't promise nothin' but... I'll take you as far as I can, then you're on your own. Right?"

"Right!" Sam said happily and he handed the little bracelet over to her. Haggle just about managed to fit the bracelet around her knobbly wrist. She leaned against a plank of wood and pulled on a small latch on the front of it, only to have various utensils clatter as they piled around her feet. Sam giggled a little.

"What? I can't be right ALL the time." She shook her head and closed the door. She kicked it and pulled it open from the other side and a bright light shone through. Sam's eyes widened a little in awe and followed her through the tunnel. Haggle tugged on his shirt as she noticed he was already becoming sidetracked on his whereabouts.

"This way." She said.

"Don't go on." An eerie voice next to Sam boomed and, out of shock, he gasped. He looked at the wall and saw a weird face carved in the stone. A few more called out to him and Haggle pulled on his shirt again, telling him to hurry up.

"Pay no attention to 'em, Sam. They're just false alarms what the Queen set up. They're to throw people off the scent. Only for when they're on the right track."

"Oh no, you're not!" Another voice boomed and Haggle groaned.

"Oh shut up!" She said.

"Just doin' my job."

"Well, ya don't have to do it to us!" She spat. Sam giggled a little at Haggle's feistiness towards a wall of all things.

"Beware for-"

"Just forget it!" Haggle put her hand up towards it.

"Please? I haven't said it for such a long time." The wall asked.

"Oh, alright. But DON'T expect a big reaction out of us, though." She sighed. The face in the wall cleared its throat.

"The path you take will lead to certain destruction!" They both looked to the ground where they saw a crystal ball rolling at a natural pace. As if it _wanted_ Sam and Haggle to follow it. It rolled up into a little pan that was in the hand of a Goblin that was dressed in torn rags and a blue cloak.

"What have we here?" Its croaky voice asked. Haggle stepped back into Sam as she became full of fear.

"N-nothing!" The beggar stood up straighter, removed its hat, cloak and rags and revealed itself to be Jaryn.

"Nothing? Nothing? Nothing, tra-la-la?" She shook the hat in Haggle's face and tossed it aside.

"Y-your Majesty!" Haggle kneeled down before her feet. "What a nice surprise."

"If only I could say the same, Hagfish." She grinned.

"It's Hagface." Sam quickly said.

"HAGGLE!" She said.

"Haggle, could it be that you're... _helping_ this boy?" Haggle stepped back into a wall and Sam noticed her nervousness again.

"In w-what sense, your Majesty?" She stammered.

"The sense that you're leading him to my castle."

"No! No! Of course not! I'm still working on our little plan. You know, to take him back to the beginning." Sam's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Just when he felt he was getting somewhere, he learns he's slowly being stabbed in the back by... who he _thought_ was his friend.

"What? Haggle? How _could_ you?" He asked. Haggle was lost for words right now and fiddled with the puffy sleeve on her shirt and Jaryn noticed the little bracelet around her wrist.

"What _is_ that little green thing around your wrist?" Haggle became apprehensive and pulled her sleeve right down but she knew it was foolish to do. Jaryn then looked at Sam who was still in disbelief that he was being betrayed.

"You've always been a sucker for pretty things haven't you?" Jaryn asked and smiled at Haggle.

"He's given you this little trinket and now you're leading him to my castle?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"Haggle, if I were to find out that you _were_ helping Sam to get to my castle... well, you know what happens to traitors here." Haggle fell to her knees and pleaded as she grasped Jaryn's shirt, only to be kicked back into the wall. She looked over at a doubtful Sam and stepped closer to him.

"You're a very... determined man aren't you, Sam?" She questioned.

"You can't keep Hannah from me forever. I'll get her back home soon. Just watch." He said coldly. Haggle rolled her eyes and groaned as she was almost telling him to shut up.

"I look forward to it. How about... upping the stakes a little? I can't make it too easy. Can I?" She pointed to the same clock from before when began his journey in the Labyrinth began. Jaryn spun her index finger clockwise and the big hand moved along with it, making it a couple of hours later.

"That's not fair!" He cried.

"You say that so often. I'm beginning to wonder what your basis for comparison is." She chuckled. "But... as I said, I can't make it too easy." She brought out another crystal ball and threw it down the tunnel behind her. A loud contraption took its place and started to make its way towards Haggle and Sam. Haggle gasped and ran as fast as her stumpy legs would carry her.

"What _is_ that?" Sam cried.

"The Cleaners! Run!" She yelled as she was already far away from him. Sam followed her and pulled on her arm so she could keep up with him. They came to a set of locked gates and tried pulling on the bars but the gates wouldn't budge.

"Happy now Sam? You've sure got her attention!" She screamed as she tried kicking the gates open. Sam thumped the walls next to him and felt a slight movement within one of them.

"Haggle! Help!" He yelled and Haggle did so, practically throwing herself into the wall so it would cave in. The wall (thankfully) gave and they both fell to the ground. As they both got back up, they both jumped at the sound of a loud clatter. Sam looked around the corner and saw the weird machine drive through the gates, leaving only a few bars of it left. Haggle brushed off any dust off of her clothes and looked around the little room they had let themselves into.

"Ah! This is what we need. A ladder. Come on." She said as she pulled on it a little to check if it was sturdy enough.

"How am I supposed to trust you now that I know you're only trying to take me back to the beginning of the Labyrinth?"

"I'm not! I only said that to throw her off the scent." She called as she was already above Sam's height.

"Haggle how am I supposed to believe anything you tell me?" He asked.

"Well, put it this way: what choice have ya got?" Sam sighed, knowing she was right and climbed up after her.

"Why couldn't you just tell her that you were helping me get to the castle?" He asked.

"Put yourself in my position: I'm a coward. Big time. Jaryn **terrifies** me." She said, pulling herself further up the ladder.

"That's not really a position."

"Exactly." Sam didn't even bother arguing with her and just concentrated on climbing up the ladder.

"What did she mean, anyway? When she was talking about traitors?" Haggle nearly slipped and Sam had to push her back up by holding her back and holding her until she finally grasped the ladder again.

"If you were just a little bit smart, you wouldn't dare risk what the Queen has in store for traitors."

"What do you mean?"

"The Bog of Eternal Stench." She said with horror in her voice. "If you were to even put one foot in there, you- you'd- AHH!" She screamed as the step below her came loose and dropped to the ground. She clutched on to the ladder with all her might.

"Is it really that bad?" Sam asked.

"If you were to put one foot in there, you'd smell bad for the rest of your life. It NEVER washes off!" She explained and put her hands above her head to move what turned out to be a panel. Haggle peeked out and helped herself down.

"You're on your own now," Haggle said.

"What?!" Sam asked and quickly jumped over the side after Haggle.

"I quit!" She shouted.

"You little cheat!" Sam called her but Haggle kept on walking.

"Oh bite me, Sam. I have no pride so don't TRY to embarrass me." Sam smirked as he saw the part on her belt sticking out which had all of her trinkets and jewels. He clutched them and held them above her head so she couldn't reach.

"Give 'em back!" She yelled and tried to kick Sam but he kept his hand on her head so she couldn't run towards him.

"Well then, which way do you think we should go?" He smirked. Haggle groaned as she realized what he was doing.

"That's not fair!" She yelled.

"No! No, it isn't! But that's the way it is." He smiled as he opened his eyes to this new epiphany.


	8. Chapter 8 - Friend

**JARYN'S CASTLE**

Jaryn held a sleepy Hannah in her arms and her little head rested on her chest. Hannah started to fall asleep as she heard the rhythm of Jaryn's heartbeat.

"Sammy." She said quietly. Jaryn looked at her little blue eyes and saw that she missed him dearly. Jaryn handed her over to Elodie who took her to the other baby goblins in the nursery. Jaryn got up off her throne and marched upstairs and into her bedroom. She slammed the door behind her and rushed over to her bed. She sat down with her feet resting on the cold, tiled floor. She looked over to her black pillows and reached under to find a slip of paper which turned out to be a photograph of a young girl with raven hair that cascaded over her shoulders and eyes that matched those of Jaryn's. She was pictured holding the hand of a younger Jaryn. She brought the photograph close to her chest and whispered: "I'm sorry, Kesara."

She wiped a single tear away as she heard the familiar caw of a crow. She looked to the balcony and saw an ominous ebony crow perched on the ledge. It flew into the room and spun around in a circle until it turned into the form of her mother.

"What are you doing here, Mother?" Jaryn asked, shoving the photograph back under her pillows.

"What an exemplary way to greet your mother, Jaryn. And it's your Majesty to you."

"Yes, your Majesty." Jaryn kneeled before the Queen.

"Where is he?" The Queen asked.

"Who, your Majesty?"

"The boy. The mortal. Where is he?" She asked impatiently.

"It will all be ready by tomorrow." She said after a pause.

"This is taking FAR too long, Jaryn. If Kesara was here, she'd have had it done already. What is the matter with you?"

"Nothing, m- your Majesty. I-I just... need to make sure everything is ready. Just trust me OK?" She said.

"If that ceremony doesn't take place soon, I'll do it myself." The Queen said coldly and with that, she leaped over the balcony and flew away from the castle in the form of a crow. Jaryn sighed and threw herself on the bed. She then heard a clatter downstairs and hurried back to the throne room.

"What's going on now?" She asked and she saw Hannah standing next to a broken vase.

"He did it!" One of the goblins yelled.

"Nuh-uh! It was her!" And they both grappled each other on the floor. Jaryn ran to Hannah and picked her up before she cut herself on the broken shards.

"Clean this up at once." She ordered and took Hannah upstairs and into a little nursery which was usually for tending to baby goblins.

"Zana, mind the baby for a little while. I'll be back soon." She hurried out of the nursery and conjured up a crystal ball that showed Sam and Haggle walking through a hedge maze. They were getting even closer to the castle.

"No!" She whispered. She thought for a minute and rolled the crystal ball up her arm.

"He has to forget about her." She said and dashed out of the castle until she finally reached the hedge maze.

* * *

 **HEDGE MAZE**

"Why did you tell him I was your friend?" Haggle asked as she stood by Sam's side.

"Because you are." Sam smiled.

"I ain't ever been no one's friend before." She chuckled at the idea and just about caught up to Sam until they both heard a ferocious bellow.

"Keep the stuff!" Haggle said as she ran away from Sam who didn't manage to pull her back in time.

"Haggle, you... you little coward!" He yelled after her. He tried remembering what he was told in the brick corridors. _'Things aren't always how they seem in this place.'_

He tried walking around a corner only to stop as he heard the same loud, beastly roar. He poked his head around the corner and saw little goblins in very freaky looking helmets charge towards a large, dark, furry beast that had its legs tied to a branch on an old (but sturdy) tree. Each goblin held the same eccentric weapon: a stick with the head of what looked like a piranha fish and a chicken. All the goblins used them to claw at the beast's fur and Sam then realized that his roars weren't out of hope to scare people, but they were in fact roars of pain.

Sam looked deep into the big, auburn eyes of the beast and could tell he was no danger to him. The beast let out another roar and Sam felt something tap his foot. He saw a fair sized rock by his foot and with that, he picked it up and hurled it at one of the goblins. It thudded into the back of one of the helmets and at least two goblins fell over. Sam felt another rock tap his foot. He threw it again and it bounced off the head and they all started to walk in one another.

"Retreat!" One of them squeaked and they all did so, running in any direction. Sam came out from behind the corner and approached the beast who started to growl and roar.

"Knock it off!" Sam said sternly. The creature did so.

"Do you want me to help you down?" Sam asked and tilted his head so he could look properly into the beast's eyes.

"Ludo down!" It said with deep sorrow in his voice.

"Ludo?" Sam asked and he ran his hand through Ludo's fur that hung off his head. Sam walked over to the tree and crouched so he could untie the ropes.

"Hang on.." He said as he finally pulled it and the knot came loose. Only to have Ludo bang his head on the ground.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" He called and he ran beside Ludo. He was relieved when he saw him sit back up. Ludo stared at Sam.

"Friend?" He asked, hopefully.

"That's right Ludo. My name's Sam." He smiled at the creature's clumsy and childlike spirit.

"Sam..." His deep voice repeated. He rolled back and forth so he could sit back up and Sam pushed on his furry back to help him.

"Sam friend!" He said cheerfully.

"Ludo, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"I have to get to the castle to find my sister. Do you know the way?" He asked. Ludo looked around, took a deep breath only to shake his head.

"You don't know either, huh? God, I wonder if _anyone_ knows how to get through the Labyrinth." He sighed.

* * *

 **HAGGLE**

Haggle pondered back through the hedge maze, wheezing. She didn't dare look back however as she feared the creature was right behind her. She hopped, skipped and jumped for at least another ten minutes until she was certain that the creature wouldn't find her. She fell to the ground and inhaled deeply.

She crawled over a tree branch and pulled off a twig. She whacked any other branches or leaves that were in her way. She became startled however as she heard the familiar, sinister caw of a crow above her. She looked to the sky and saw a crow passing overhead. She looked back and feared for Sam.

"He'll be fine." She told herself and carried on passing through the dusty plains.

"Haggle help!" She heard him cry. She dropped the stick and went to turn around.

"I'm comin' Sam!" She said, worriedly.

"Well!" Jaryn said behind her. "If it isn't... you. And, uh... where are you going?" She asked, stepping closer to Haggle.

"Oh! Your Majesty! W-well, it uh... appears that the boy... gave me the slip! But I've just heard him now so I'm going back to him to lead him back to the beginning. Just like we planned." She said quickly.

"I see. For one moment, I thought that you were running back to... help him. But no. Not after my warnings. That would be really stupid. Wouldn't it?" She asked quietly which slowly sparked fear into Haggle's heart.

"You bet! M-me? Help him? After your warnings." Haggle let out a (blatant forced) laugh but was the stopped when Jaryn kneeled down to Haggle's height and put her gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Poor Hagface." Jaryn said.

"Haggle." She replied quietly.

"I've just noticed those lovely jewels you have are missing." She observed.

"Oh... uh... right they are. I'll have to look for them but right now, I'd best get back to him and follow through with our plan." Jaryn stood up straight and looked almost... anxious.

"Wait!" She shouted.

"I've got a much better plan." She explained and another crystal formed in her gloved palm which she threw at Haggle. However, when it landed in Haggle's hand, it came in the form of a peach.

"What... er... what is it?" She asked.

"A present." She said simply.

"It... ain't gonna harm him is it?" She asked slowly.

"Why the sudden concern?"

"I ain't gonna do nothin' to hurt him!" She said with newfound courage.

"Oh come, come, come Haggard. I'm surprised at you losing your head over a boy."

"I ain't lost ma head!" She spat. Jaryn looked up and saw the same crow from before perched on a tree above her. She took out her riding crop from the castle and poked Haggle in the arm a couple of times.

"You don't think a handsome man like him could ever like a repulsive little scab like you, do you?" She asked.

"He said we were..." She said slowly.

"What? Bosom companions? _Friends?"_ She asked, knowing she was right as Haggle didn't argue back.

"It don't matter." Haggle went to walk away but the crow above Jaryn cawed again and Jaryn clutched Haggle's silver earring.

"You'll give him the damn peach Haggle or I'll tip you straight into the Bog of Eternal Stench before you can blink!" She said harshly and threw Haggle to the ground. Haggle proceeded to run away but was called back again.

"And Haggle, just know that if he ever _does_ kiss you, I'll turn you into a princess." She said. Haggle looked at her with her hopeful, blue eyes.

"You- you will?"

"Princess of the Land of Stench!" She chuckled with a snide and cold tone. Haggle groaned but still rushed off to help Sam all the same.

"Leave me alone!" She heard him yell distantly. She heard the cackles and whoops the unmistakable Fire Gang.

"Damn Fire Gang." She muttered and came to a cliff where she saw Sam struggling to get away from a group of dancing, fiery-colored creatures with hair wilder than some of the shrubs beside Sam. She saw a bundle of rope that was piled up near the ledge. She grabbed it and lowered it down to where Sam was standing.

"Haggle!" He cried.

"Grab it!" She ordered and did her best to help Sam up. Once he was safe, she groaned at the Fire Gang who still tormented Sam as they used their elf-like ears as wings to get closer to him.

"Go away!" She spat and groaned. Sam jumped up and embraced Haggle.

"You came to help me!" He cheered and Haggle felt him peck her on her cheek.

"Oh no, no, no! AAAAAHHHHH!" She and Sam screamed as they both fell through the ground which collapsed beneath their feet. Haggle just about managed to clutch on to a nail that stuck out of a gap between two large concrete bricks. Sam grabbed on to the ledge and his legs hung off next to Haggle's. She groaned as she smelled what was beneath her.

"Oh my God!" Sam said as he straightened himself up on the ledge and finally smelled what was below them both. They were both perched above a pit that reeked of... what he hoped was sewage.

"God! What the hell is that?!" He asked, trying his best not to vomit.

"It's the Bog of Eternal Stench!" She said in disgust and she tried to pull herself up next to Sam but her grip was failing.

"I've never smelled anything **LIKE** that! It's like-"

"Does it really **matter** what it's like?! Just help!" She screeched. Sam clung on to the ledge with one hand and grabbed Haggle by the arm and pulled her up next to him so they were both leaning against the solid wall.

"Why would you do a thing like **that?** " Haggle spat and she then stepped back into the wall once she realized how close she was to the edge.

"What? Rescue you?" He asked as he tried walking across the ledge.

"No! You kissed me!" She said and then jumped over by Sam as she felt the bricks beneath her crumble into the Bog.

"Oh gosh!" She said in quite a high voice.

"Don't pretend to be so hard. I know you came back because you care and I _know_ you're my friend."

"Did not. Am not. I've just come to get ma things back. Oh, and... uh, give you uh..." She trailed off as she wasn't sure whether to give the peach to Sam.

"Haggle?" He asked, noticing her silence. As she fumbled with her pocket, she lost her footing and slipped down the ledge. Sam tried to grab her but fell down with her. Thankfully, they didn't land in the Bog, but rather on the furry back of Ludo.

"Smell!" He groaned.

"Where's Haggle?" Sam asked as he looked around. He then heard the muffled screams of Haggle and saw her feet sticking out from under his backside.

"Get it OFF!" She yelled as her face was pinned to the dusty ground. Sam quickly pushed Ludo's back to help him stand up so Haggle could breathe again. She then screamed once she saw Ludo, mistaking him for a bloodthirsty creature attempting to shred her to pieces. Sam raised his hand to calm her down.

"No, no! It's OK. This is Ludo. He's a friend too."

"A _**WHAT**?" _ Her little blue eyes widened in shock that such a creature had managed to befriend Sam.

"Smell!" He roared. Sam put his forearm across his nose so he wouldn't have to breathe in the revolting odor of the pits.

"There's a bridge! Over there! Come on." He ordered and led them to a stone pathway.

"Stop!" A strange voice commanded behind the three friends.


	9. Chapter 9 - As The World Falls Down

"Stop, I say!" The same voice commanded which turned out to be the voice of a little fox which had the most abnormal choice for clothing.

"Look we have to get across!" Sam said impatiently. The fox stood before him. Small yet proud. It drew out a staff before him and pointed it at Sam.

"NO ONE shall cross without my permission!"

"Come on! I don't have much time!" Sam tried to get past but the fox quickly dashed in front of him and thumped his leg with his staff. Haggle groaned and moved her arm away from her mouth and nose so she could yell at the little irritating fox.

"We've gotta get out of this STENCH!" Haggle said in a very strained voice as she was holding her breath as she spoke so she wouldn't breathe in the rancid odor.

"I smell nothing!" The fox said.

"You're joking!" Haggle scoffed.

"The air is SWEET and fragrant and NONE may pass without my permission!" The fox spat as it watched Sam carefully and held his staff towards him.

"SMELL!" Ludo roared.

"Oh! Get out of my way!" Haggle charged towards the fox but was pushed back and thumped in the stomach with the staff.

"Leave her alone!" Sam yelled as Haggle fell back and clutched her stomach. "Now come on! Let us get across!" He commanded but was whacked in the knee by the staff. Haggle quickly jumped up and ran across the bridge while the fox was busy smacking Sam's leg with the staff. Ludo looked at Sam sorrowfully as he couldn't stand seeing his best friend being hurt by the little creature. He picked the fox up by the scruff of his neck. The fox fought back however and smacked him in the face with the staff and started to strike Ludo in the back. The fox ran circles around Ludo, making fun of his size and Ludo attempted to swat the fox with a large rotted branch. Sam and Ludo finally thought the creature had given up as it charged inside a little tunnel and Ludo smashed it in. They both looked at the remains of the tunnel, trying to find the fox. They finally thought it was trapped inside and proceeded to walk across the bridge.

"ENOUGH!" It cried. They both looked up to a little hole that was about the same height as Ludo's head.

"Before this day, I have never once met my match in battle. Yet this noble knight has brought me to a standstill." Sam ignored the fox's praises and looked at Ludo.

"Are you OK Ludo?"

"Smell!" He replied. Sam smiled a little as he knew Ludo was... well, normal. At least for a place like this.

"Sir Ludo," the fox began after learning his name through Sam. "I, Sir Didymus, now yield to thee. Let us be brothers henceforth." Ludo put his arms out in front of him to grab the fox's tiny arms.

"Ludo get brother." He placed Sir Didymus gently on the ground. Sam took Ludo's paw in his hand and saw this as their opportunity to cross.

"Wait a minute!" The fox cried. "I cannot let you pass. You forget my sacred vow, good sir."

"But you just said Ludo was your brother." Sam gestured to Ludo who simply nodded, agreeing with whatever his good friend said.

"I have sworn an oath and I must defend it to the death!" He said proudly.

"Alright well... hang on. What exactly have you sworn?" He asked.

"I have sworn that no one shall cross without my permission." Didymus simply replied.

"Well... may we have your permission?" He asked. The fox fumbled on his words, seeing no reason to not let them cross.

"Yes?" He squeaked.

"Thank you, sir," Sam said, relieved that they could finally cross and get away from the stench. He carefully, put one foot on the bridge and saw that it felt quite rickety. He hesitated and realized he was a hell of a lot heavier than Haggle.

"Fear not, noble sir! This bridge has lasted thousands of years." Didymus tapped it with his staff to prove his point but the rocks holding the bridge crumbled; the ropes on the bridge snapped and the bridge itself plunged into the pits below Sam. He instinctively grabbed onto a branch above his head and internally prayed that it would hold.

"Haggle!" He cried out and she came running out from behind the rocks. Her jaw dropped as she saw her best friend clutching on for his life. She looked around where she was, feeling completely useless that she couldn't help him.

"Have no fear, good sir! I shall save thee! Somehow." Ludo stepped back and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Sir Ludo, canst thou sit by and howl when noble sir needs our help?" Didymus criticised. Ludo ignored him and continued bellowing until a sizeable rock rolled out into the pits, right below Sam's dangling feet. He let go and kept his balance on the rock. He noticed more rocks appear around him, forming a path to the other side.

"Ludo that's INCREDIBLE!" He called.

"My brother, canst thou summon the very rocks?" Didymus asked, astonished.

"Sure. Rocks friends." Ludo carefully walked across the pathway and followed Sam to the other side. Haggle held out her hand to Sam.

"Thanks Haggle."

"Sir Ludo wait for me! Ambrosius, you can come out now. Come on. Good boy." He called behind him and an English sheepdog (that greatly resembled Merlin) appeared from behind a stack of rocks. He padded over to Didymus and let him climb upon his back. Ambrosius whined as he came close to the rocks. Didymus ran his little paw through the fur on the back of Ambrosius's head to calm him.

"It's alright, Ambrosius. Just close your eyes and GO!" Ambrosius charged across the pathway and joined the group of friends. Ambrosius hurried up to Sam's side with Didymus urging him to carry on, despite his fears of where he was. Haggle paused before joining them. She took the peach out of her pocket and stood close to the pit. She made sure Sam was out of the way completely. She held the peach over the bog of stench when she heard a familiar, haunting voice above her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Jaryn called.

"Please. I can't give it to him." Haggle silently begged. Her little heart pounded in her chest. Both out of fear and angst of what would be the outcome whether she chose to give the peach to Sam or not. She placed her hand over her chest to calm herself when she was suddenly called again.

"Haggle?" Sam called before heading into a forest. She shoved the peach back in her pocket and scurried back to Sam.

"Coming!" She cried.

* * *

JARYN'S CASTLE

Jaryn had yet another crystal before Hannah which displayed Sam as he traveled further into the opening of a small forest. Hannah squealed as she recognized her big brother.

"No, no it's alright Hannah. He's about to forget about you and everything will be OK."

* * *

FOREST

The five friends stuck together as they ventured further into the dark forest. A strange, grey mist danced and twirled in the maze of trees around them. The only light that could be seen anymore was the moonlight above them all. Sam looked up at the moon and started to worry as he tried to think of how much time he had left to find Hannah.

"Hungry." Ludo said. Sam stroked his arm as he looked around for any type of fruit. Haggle lagged behind as she took the peach out of her pocket and looked at Sam, clueless about what would happen next.

"Uh... Sam?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"I... uh... I found this before. You can have it. I don't really care much for 'em."

"Haggle thank you!" He smiled and took the peach in his hand.

"You really ARE a good friend." He took a bite into the peach and carried on walking. Haggle sighed in relief as he seemed OK.

As they carried on walking, Sam slowed down a little and held his head in his hands. Haggle ran towards him.

"Sam? Are you OK?" She asked.

"It just tastes a little funny. Where did you find it?" He dropped to his knees and bowed his head to calm the dizziness. Haggle tried to help him up. He heard her muttering worriedly to herself.

"Haggle wh- what have you done?" He asked. Haggle ran away with tears falling her little blue eyes.

"DAMN you Jaryn! And damn ME too!" She cried.

"Haggle?" He called after her, weakly. He leaned back against the tree and the peach rolled out of his hand as he suddenly felt limp.

"Everything's dancing..." he mumbled as he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep against the tree.

The peach rolled away from Sam's direction but didn't stop. Instead, it formed into a more solid spherical transparent shape. It rolled up a rough, solid wall and into Jaryn's palm who was sat gracefully on the edge of her bedroom window with her right leg hanging over the side. She took the crystal and spun it around in the palm of her hand. She kissed it and blew it as if it was a bubble back into the forest. Sam soon came around and saw a bubble floating before him. He blinked twice to make sure he wasn't hallucinating as he was certain he could see himself in the bubble. Only he wasn't dressed in his white t-shirt or his black jeans. He saw himself in the bubble wearing a white shirt that ruffled around his chest. Covering him was a midnight blue glitzy blazer that buttoned around his stomach and black pants that took in the shape of his toned legs perfectly. Sam blinked only a couple of times again to make sure he still wasn't hallucinating but instead, he found himself in probably one of the most beautiful rooms he'd ever seen. It was old-fashioned and looked like something you'd see inside an ancient palace from a fairytale. It was opulent from the white, marble floor to the ceiling that had intricate, regal looking signs swirling across the ceiling.

He did his best to take in where he was. He looked down and saw he was sitting on what appeared to be a throne which was surprisingly comfortable for a seat made of marble. He looked in front of him and saw a crowd of at least four hundred people kneeling before him. They all wore extravagant dresses and suits; their hair was done up to be bigger than their heads and their pale faces were covered by masks of different types. He stood up straight and they all cheered for him and paired up with one another to start dancing. Sam remained confused as to what was going on. He looked to the right however and almost fainted. He didn't want to believe it at first as he thought he really had lost it when he saw her.

Her long black hair tied up into a braid over her left shoulder; the very same gentle, dark green eyes that stared lovingly at Sam through her white mask that had opalescent and white glitter swirling around.

"Mom?" He asked, quietly. She took her mask down and smiled at him. Sam ran down the few steps before his throne and embraced her tightly.

"I've missed you so much." He whispered.

"And I you, Samuel." She held his face in her delicate, warm hands and wiped a single tear that slid down his cheek.

"Don't you be crying on me now Sammy. Go celebrate; it's your party." Sam hugged her again tightly.

"Will you still be here? When I come back?" He whispered, trying to hold back any further tears.

"Of course I will. Go on!" She smiled. Sam turned back into the crowd of dancing partners, feeling completely out of place there. He looked around even further and passed through the dancers. He tried to find the ballroom doors but they were nowhere to be seen. He became lost within the crowd until he turned around only to knock a young woman over. She wore a dress that was unlike any other in the entire ballroom. It was the most intriguing shade of purple he'd ever seen and the skirt was ruffled yet still appeared classy. Her purple velvet sleeves shone under the light of the chandeliers above them. The corset and the bottom hem of the skirt had graceful white lace stitched all around. She turned around and Sam saw a purple mask that matched her dress in front of her alluring eyes. Sam reached out for her hand which had lacy black gloves that went up to her wrists.

"Are you alright?" He asked. The girl ran through the crowd and Sam followed her. She ran out the open sizeable door and into the gardens which had trees and shrubs by the million, all illuminated by the moon's generous light. She hurried out to a clear spot in the gardens. Sam panted as he finally found her.

"What's wrong? I'm really sorry about before." The girl didn't respond. Instead, she turned around to face Sam and took off her mask. Sam became instantly enthralled with her beauty. Her fair skin had no blemishes whatsoever and her wild hair rested upon her bare shoulders and it lightly flowed over her breasts. Sam became lost in her eyes, however. The eyes that seemed to sing to him with a voice that was as sweet as honey; the eyes that subtly smiled at him; the eyes that beckoned him into wanting more of her. Before he could take another step closer, she placed her mask back on and vanished within the blink of an eye and Sam looked all around for her. He retreated back to the palace and still had no luck finding the girl. He couldn't believe he was looking for the girl he'd only known for at least five minutes. He couldn't explain it, but he somehow felt... drawn to this woman. Something about her was just... outstanding towards him.

He felt that he'd looked for her for at least an hour when he suddenly found her in the arms of another man with a mask that resembled the face of a skeleton. She stared at Sam deeply and slowly walked over to him. She took his right hand in hers and put her left hand on his shoulder. Sam placed his right hand on her back to support her. He'd never danced in his life but something just gave him that extra urge to dance with this mysterious girl. He heard her sing gently to him. Her voice sounded sweeter than he'd expected. It was indescribable. He felt as if he couldn't get enough of her voice.

"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel...". The gentle words flowed from her peach colored lips like a waterfall. He spun her around and their eyes were locked in each other's gaze.

"But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down..." She sang. Sam found himself entranced by her melodic voice. He put removed her mask and looked deeply into her eyes. It was as if he had become beguiled by her gaze. He went to lean in closer. He hesitated however as he heard the familiar chime of a clock. It soon became clearer. She was no stranger to him. Her voice echoed around him and he looked around the ballroom. The masks resembled the same creatures he's read about before. Goblins. His jaw dropped.

"Jaryn." Sam whispered and Jaryn grinned as a response. He let go of her and dashed through the crowd. Jaryn's grin faded into a worried expression as she watched Sam run further away from her. He tried to open the palace doors but they were locked up good. He turned to the window and saw his reflection in it perfectly. It was more reflective than any other mirror he'd ever seen. He picked up the nearest thing that was heavy enough to break it. He flung it at the window and everyone around him screamed and the whole room around him collapsed. He found himself falling from the sky, back in his other clothes and he fell down into a pit of old, broken gadgets and materials. Haggle saw him fall down into the garbage around him. She sighed and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"He'll never forgive me." She whimpered. "What have I done? I've lost my only friend. THAT'S what I've done." She retreated into a pile of garbage, next to a burning fire. She buried her head in her little hands and cried for Sam. She could already picture him turning her away as if he didn't even know her anymore. She rolled back her sleeve and fumbled with the little bracelet around her wrist and cried into her shirt, using it as a tissue to drain her tears.

"I'm sorry Sam. I'm so, so sorry!" She whimpered.


	10. Chapter 10 - Forgiveness

Haggle hurried through the piles of garbage, hoping she wouldn't be seen or heard by Sam. She tripped however and felt a sharp, searing pain in her knee. She gasped as she ran her hand over the small graze on her knobbly knee and fell back on the freezing ground and all that surrounded her anymore were mountains of junk. She tried standing up but hesitated as she heard the familiar sound of Sam's voice. She put her little hand over her mouth and hoped he wouldn't hear her. No way would he forgive her for this. As she carried on self-pitying, she couldn't help it anymore and started to blubber until the collar of her shirt was soaked with her waterfall of cascading tears. She could already picture Sam screaming at her and telling her he didn't want anything to do with her anymore. It was too much. It hurt even more than her knee. She lay in her side and cried into her sleeve.

If I weren't such a DAMN coward, Sam wouldn't be like this. Maybe we'd still be friends. She sobbed even harder as she thought of the word. Friend. She'd never had one before and she had completely ruined everything with her first (and only) friend.

"Hannah! I have to save Hannah!" She heard Sam's distant voice call out. She lifted her head and helped herself up, trying to see if he was OK. She stepped out of hiding and saw Sam being pulled out a heap of garbage by the ginormous hands of Ludo who continuously called his name.

"Come on! Let's go, quick! We don't have much time." Sam said as he ran ahead of the three towards the gates of the Goblin City.

"No!" Haggle said to herself and followed them all up to the gates. She remained hidden, however.

* * *

GOBLIN CITY GATES

"Open up! Open the doors!" Didymus called.

"Sir Didymus, be quiet! You're gonna wake him up!" Sam quickly said as he saw a sleeping goblin dressed in chain mail who slept soundly as he stood next to the gates of the Goblin City.

"Well let them ALL wake up!" Didymus grabbed his staff as he leaped off of Ambrosius' back and he whacked the guard's helmet with it. Sam drew his index finger up to his lips, attempting to silence him. It didn't work, however, and he pulled him away from the gates.

"Sir Didymus hush!" He commanded and then let him go again as he pushed the gates open. Didymus paced over to Ambrosius who whined constantly at the thought of going in. Didymus climbed on to Ambrosius' back and stroked the back of his neck again, urging him to follow Sam. The dog followed him reluctantly. Sam walked in much slower now, despite how much time he had left.

"Something feels wrong," Sam said. The little gates slammed behind him they all turned around in fright only to see nothing was there. Sam stepped closer to Ludo as he went to walk further into the city. Two giant iron doors closed and they pieced together to make a giant, steel menacing robot. As it awoke, it's two haunting eyes opened and glowed a vibrant yet terrifying red.

"Who goes?" Its voice boomed. The four friends stepped back and Ludo growled, trying to be brave for Sam's sake. The machine came out from between the closed doors and turned around again. Sam couldn't see what it was that the machine grabbed at first. At least not until it was right above the machine's head. A colossal ax with a blade that was even bigger than the contraption's head prepared to swing down towards them. They all backed up until they felt a sharp something their backs. Sam saw a set of spikes spring up towards his chest. He was trapped and saw no way past this thing.

"WATCH OUT!" He yelled as he saw the ax swing down towards him and his friends. The ax just missed their heads and crashed into the wall beside Ludo. Ambrosius threw Didymus off of his back and retreated behind a single rock. Didymus constantly commanded him to come back; Ludo growled at the robot and Sam dodged the impact of the ax and the spikes that stood up straight behind him. He grabbed a handful of Ludo's fur and tried to pull him back, desperate for him to not get hurt. He then saw a shadow run over him. He looked up and saw Haggle running across the top and she leaped on to the machine's head. It detached however and inside was a little unsightly goblin with bright orange eyes. Haggle grabbed him and tossed him over the side. He retreated as he saw Ludo. Haggle jumped into its seat and tried to work the controls. The ax swung around repeatedly as Haggle struggled with the dials that controlled its arms.

"Drop the ax!" Sam yelled.

"I'm tryin'!" She called. As she messed around with the buttons, one of them popped and steam hissed out of it and she screamed. Sam realized it was malfunctioning and with Haggle still in there, the outcome wouldn't be good.

"Get out of there, Haggle!" He yelled. She stood up on the edge and threw herself over the side. She landed face flat on the floor. Sam ran towards her instantly and helped her back up.

"My God, Haggle are you alright?" He asked, holding her hand.

"Look, I ain't askin' for your forgiveness. I just want a chance to explain. Jaryn made me give you that peach. If I'd have known then-" She was cut off as Sam brought her in for a hug.

"I forgive you, Haggle." He smiled.

"You do?"

"And I commend you. Never before have I seen such courage. You are indeed a valiant lady, Miss Haggle." Didymus praised.

"Haggle and Ludo friends." Ludo said gently.

"W-we are?" She was speechless. Sam had forgiven her, she was called brave rather than a coward and she was recognized as someone else's friend. Sam reached under his shirt where Haggle's trinkets were.

"Here are your things Haggle. Thanks for your help. Really." He handed them back to her and she clipped them on to her shirt.

"You know what? Let's get that rat who calls herself Jaryn 'cause I've just about had enough of her." She stood up proudly and took Sam's hand. They all prepared to walk through the locked, steel doors. (With the help of Ludo) Sam just about managed to get the doors open wide enough for all five of them to squeeze through. The city itself was ranged with ramshackle, minuscule houses that were undoubtedly homes to the goblins. He noticed the odd cat scurry around every once in a while as they ventured further into the city. He could just about see the castle now. Hannah was as good as his.

* * *

JARYN'S CASTLE

Jaryn once again had Hannah on her knee. She smiled contentedly at her little eyes and how every curly, auburn lock of her hair rested on her shoulders. Hannah leaned back so her head was on Jaryn's chest. The sound of her heartbeat soon managed to lull her to sleep. Jaryn put her hand on Hannah's head and played with a stray curl of her hair as she drifted off to sleep. She'd never felt more serene. At least until one of her messenger goblins came bursting in.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" The little goblin panted. He kneeled before speaking again.

"What is it, Griveld?" Jaryn asked out of blatant fury of being disturbed. Hannah opened her eyes and stared at Griveld's unsightly exterior.

"The boy!" He cried.

"What?"

"The boy! The boy who ate the peach and forgot everything!"

"What of him?" She asked slowly.

"He's here with a monster, Sir Didymus and that little dwarf who worked for you."

"WHAT?!" She asked in a panic, hoping it was a daft joke.

"He got through the gates and he's on his way to the castle!" Griveld continued. Jaryn took Hannah and called for Elodie and Zana.

"Take Hannah and make sure the Queen doesn't see her!" She ordered. The two goblins hurried upstairs with Hannah and took her to the nursery. Jaryn paced around the throne room.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. He should have given up long ago. This is bad. Very bad. Her mind became plagued with awful thoughts of what would happen to Hannah and Sam if her mother saw them both.

"You need to stop him! Everyone! Move! Move!" She cried.

* * *

GOBLIN CITY

Sam proudly smiled at himself as the steps to the castle were only a few meters away. Before Sam could charge up the steps, he halted as he and his friends saw a party of goblins dressed in dark and dinky armor. They all appeared out of every direction and had some of the most unusual weapons in their hands. He knew they could easily smite him within a heartbeat, however. He looked to his right as he saw an army of them marching down the steps. One of them blew a small horn and played the tune which declared war against someone. The army charged towards them and they had no other choice but to run away. They ran through the little streets of the dilapidated houses, hoping to get away from them. He noticed Didymus and Ambrosius were no longer beside them.

"We've gotta find Sir Didymus and Ambrosius!" Sam declared before they could retreat to the castle. He maneuvered through the streets with Haggle and Ludo, ordering them to follow his every step. He dashed around the corner of another house and ducked as he heard the blast of a cannon. He opened the front door and allowed himself and Haggle in.

"How's Ludo gonna get in?" She asked, following him in. Ludo pulled the entire wall away and clumsily walked inside the house. A swarm of goblins started trying to climb in through the windows but Sam and Haggle managed to fight them off by throwing anything in their faces.

"Ludo! The rocks! Call the rocks!" Sam bellowed to Ludo who was now perched at the top of the house. He howled at the top of his lungs and every goblin in the goblin city retreated from giant boulders that rolled around every pathway and road.

* * *

JARYN'S CASTLE

Jaryn overlooked the city worriedly. She desperately tried to find Sam but failed. She feared the worst as she saw her mother in her crow form perched not too far away from her.

"Not yet." She said. The crow cawed and brought its talons to Jaryn's face. She raised her arm as defense and was left with a huge scratch down the side of it. The crow flew away and Jaryn continued looking for Sam.

"Sir Didymus?" She heard him call out. Sam was now at the foot of the castle with Ludo and Haggle.

"Coming!" The fox cried.

"High Ho Silver!" The fox yelled to Ambrosius as they joined Sam, Haggle, and Ludo. They all ran towards the main doors.

"No!" Jaryn said. She ran back into the castle.

* * *

THRONE ROOM

Sam found himself in a little room that had been seemingly trashed. There was a small pit in front of him and behind it rested a proud throne. He noticed the clock behind it. Five. Minutes. Left.

"No!" He said fearfully as Hannah was nowhere to be seen or heard. He looked at a small staircase that would take him upstairs.

"That's the only way she'll have taken her." He turned towards the staircase and proceeded to follow them, hoping Hannah wouldn't be too far.

"Well then let's go!" Haggle cried, following him. Sam immediately turned around.

"No! No. I have to face her alone."

"But why?" Didymus asked.

"Because that's the way it's done." He stated.

"Well if that is the way it is done, then that is the way you must do it. But should you need us..." Didymus trailed off.

"Yeah. Should you need us?" Haggle repeated.

"I will call. But thank you. All of you." He faintly smiled at his newfound friends. He took one last look at them all and almost couldn't believe he was leaving the only friends he'd ever had in his whole life. It was overwhelming for him, yes, but he had to get Hannah back. He needed to get Hannah back.

He turned his back and retreated upstairs and out of the throne room. He came to a room that was filled with stairs going in every possible direction. Hannah was in here. She had to be in here. He turned to the nearest set of stairs and hurried down them and came to another set of stairs. He looked beneath him to find Jaryn standing below him. Almost like a reflection. He gasped and stepped back.

"How you turned my world, you precious thing..." Jaryn's words echoed throughout the entire room. Sam tried to run to the nearest steps but became off guard as her haunting voice sung again.

"You starve and near exhaust me..." Sam looked all around for her but jumped as he heard her come out from behind him.

"Everything I've done, I've done for you. I move the stars for no one..." Jaryn allowed herself to fall forward and she was completely under Sam, standing upside down almost mirroring him. He ran to one side and she copied him.

"You've run so long, you've run so far..." Sam tried to retreat down another set of stairs but Jaryn stepped over the side and walked towards him.

"Your eyes can be so cruel..." As Sam stepped farther away, Jaryn drew up another crystal towards him. He silently mouthed 'no.'

"Just as I can be so cruel..." Jaryn turned around and hurled the crystal as far as she could.

"Oh, I do believe in you..." Sam noticed the crystal roll towards another staircase and it bounced up each step and into the hands of...

"HANNAH!" He screamed as he saw her grab hold of the crystal. She turned her head and started climbing around in the next step she could see. Sam moved as quick as he could in hope that he would soon reach Hannah before something drastic happened.

"Yes I do... live without your sunlight, love without your heartbeat. I, I can't live within you..." Jaryn's melodic yet haunting voice echoed throughout the entire hall. Sam panicked as he realized with every step forward, he was getting further away from Hannah. He looked up to see her smiling as she was sat upside down, right above his head. He jumped from staircase to staircase, hoping Hannah would be there. He feared the worst as she was no longer in sight. This was it. Hannah was gone forever. He came around the corner of another wall and there she was. Sitting on one of the steps, playing with the sleeve of her red and white onesie.

"Hannah!" He called out, overwhelmed with relief of seeing his little sister again. She turned around and leaped up to Sam. He embraced her tightly and brought her head to rest on his shoulder. Hannah wrapped both arms around the back of his neck and squeezed with all of her might.

"God! I've missed you so much! I'm so sorry Hannah." He cried. Jaryn watched on the pair of them with despair and anguish as she saw how much Sam and Hannah's cuddling reminded her of herself and Kesara embracing when they were younger. She then looked above them and saw her mother, Empress Morrigan who looked down at Sam and Hannah with scornful eyes. She looked over at Jaryn and brought her two hands up. Jaryn acted fast and threw a crystal down by Sam's feet and the entire hall lit up as bright as a beacon. Morrigan fell back, not expecting Jaryn's actions. Each step and wall crumbled all around Sam and he tripped over the side. He quickly let go of Hannah's hand, not wanting her to fall to her death. He cried out as he rolled over the side and he squeezed his eyes shut. He slowly opened them as he realized that he still wasn't touching the ground. He found himself floating instead of falling to his death. He landed safely on the solid concrete floor below him and saw chunks of wall and the few odd steps levitating in midair around him. He looked all around for Hannah, but once again, she was nowhere to be seen.


	11. Chapter 11 - Give Me The Child

The eerie atmosphere around Sam was no match for the fear that had ignited within his heart as he couldn't find Hannah. He heard footsteps around him and once again saw Jaryn appear from the shadows. He stared at her with nothing but rage and spite in his eyes.

"Give me the child." He said.

"Beware, Sam. I have been generous up until now. And I **can** be cruel." She warned him. Samuel scoffed.

" **Generous**?! What have you done that's generous?!"

"EVERYTHING!" She spat. "Everything that you've wanted, I have done! You asked for Hannah to be taken, I took her. You've cowered before me. I **was** frightening. I have reordered time, I have turned my world upside down and I have done it all... for you. I'm exhausted living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?" Sam looked all around for Hannah and gulped a little before daring to ask.

"Where's Hannah? Where is she?" Sam asked, fearful of the response.

"She's safe."

"And I'm supposed to just believe you?"

"She's in the gardens, playing." Jaryn explained, yet Sam shot her a cold and doubtful look. Jaryn sighed and lifted up a crystal ball. She threw it in the air and while it was still mid air, she blew it towards Samuel's direction. It spun before his eyes and soon revealed an image of Hannah giggling away with the little goblin children. Sam smiled a little at her excitement. Even though she kept falling over, the goblins would run to her side and help her back up. Only to result in her laughing and falling over again. The picture soon faded away and the crystal ball floated back to Jaryn's hand.

"Have you ever seen her so happy? So spirited, so full of life?" Samuel didn't answer her.

"I can give her so much more. I can give YOU so much more." Samuel looked away from her and down to the stone floor. Never in a million years would he ever thought he'd feel such a strange way over a girl he barely knew.

"I don't belong in your world, Jaryn and you know it."

"You don't belong in your OWN world." She stated. _Damn it, she's right._

"I've seen you grow up in fear of that vile waste of breath you call a stepfather in case he hurts Hannah. You can't expect her to grow up and live the same life with him. An innocent baby like her would crumble under his touch. Here, she would be safe and so would YOU. Here, you could have everything you want." He looked at Jaryn and went to step closer to her, but remained the same spot as before.

"No. I can't stay here, Jaryn." He said slowly. Jaryn sighed. She could see there was no changing his mind. "I'm going home and Hannah's coming with me."

"She's not going anywhere." Jaryn said.

"Your threats can't scare me. Hannah **is** coming home with me."

"No, I mean she's not going anywhere." Her voice broke a little. "At least not while my mother is still the Queen. She's not one to be messed with, Sam." She said in fear, looking around as if she could hear her. She probably _could_ hear her as well. Their silence was broken by a shrill cry of Hannah. Jaryn pulled out a crystal and she blinked twice, hoping what she saw wasn't real. Sam noticed her worry and looked into the crystal. He put his hand over his mouth and felt tears quickly flood his eyes. The crystal shown Hannah kicking and screaming and crying as she was being dragged away by the bony, wrinkly hands of the Queen. Her hands slowly transformed into talons and the queen herself transformed into a crow. She carried Hannah away and the picture in the crystal faded away.

"SAMMYYY!" Her shrieks echoed just as the crystal's picture faded. Jaryn dropped the crystal out of fear and it rolled towards Sam.

"Impossible! I thought she would never find her there!"

"I swear to God if she does **ANYTHING** to Hannah..." He turned around, picked up the crystal and hurled it at the floating walls around him and it smashed to pieces. Minuscule pieces of glass shot out in every possible direction. Jaryn flinched at the sound but still did her best to calm him down.

"SAM! Please, just listen to me!"

"Why should I?! My sister is gonna die because of YOU!"

"Listen to me! If you don't do what I say, Hannah **is** going to die and so are **YOU**!" She yelled.

"Goddammit." He mumbled. "What are we gonna do?"

"Look, I have a plan. It's risky, but it's the only way to get you and Hannah back home safe." Sam didn't like the sound of "risky" but he was willing to try anything now if it meant Hannah would be safe.

"What is it?" He sighed, realising it was his only option left anymore.

"You don't know it but as soon as you and Hannah came to this world, a barrier was placed between this world and your world. My mother has her own palace for a reason. Everything she treasures resides there. But her most precious belonging is her... well, she calls it her veil." She could see Sam was confused so she elucidated.

"It's a type of... amulet, I suppose. It's what keeps her looking young and it holds all of her powers. The shapeshifting, her combat skills and all. If that breaks, she crumbles. And so does the barrier she holds between both worlds."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Come on, let's go to her castle!" He cried out.

"Wait! The problem is she always keeps it at the highest peak of her palace. No one and I mean **NO ONE** can get up there and get back down. At least not alive."

"Well then what the hell are we gonna do?!" Sam asked, frustratedly. Jaryn removed the glove on her right hand and slid a small ring down her pinkie. She took Sam's hand and placed it on his index finger.

"You're gonna have to move as quick as you can, but as quiet as you can. I'll keep her distracted."

"Why can't **you** get the Veil and **I** distract her?" He asked as he looked at the ring. It was a small silver thing that hugged his index finger tightly. It had a small curly emblem (that matched Jaryn's necklace) across the front.

"She's furious enough that you're not dead yet."

"Wait, what do you mean, _**yet**_? Was I supposed to **die** in here?" Jaryn hesitated but realised there was no point hiding the truth anymore.

"When you're in royalty, at least in this world, you have to prove that you're ready for the throne. Mother gave me this... task. A rite of passage, if you will. You see, I once had a younger sister. Her name was Kesara. She used to _love_ going to the mortal world and... she got too trusting. One of them murdered her. In cold blood. So as revenge, Mother set me this task. I was supposed to kill the next mortal that came into our world. It was supposed to be Hannah but... I couldn't bring myself to do it. She reminded me of Kesara too much. And you... I think by now, you already know why I couldn't do it. So I tried to make you forget about Hannah by giving you that peach and... I thought you would've tried to... leave on your own? I-I-I don't know **what** I was thinking, but I've watched you in your own world and I couldn't see what was so bad about mortals. Mother didn't even know about Hannah but now that she does, she told me she's going to perform the ceremony herself if I didn't do it. She's probably preparing for it as we speak." Sam stepped back, completely lost for words after what he had just been told. All this time, he was supposed to be dead. He looked at the ring again.

"What's this going to do?" He asked. Jaryn pushed him over a ledge and just as he was expecting to break his legs or arms or face, he landed safely on his feet.

"Ready?" Jaryn asked after she jumped down beside him. Sam nodded. She held out her hand and he took it. As he opened them again, he found himself standing behind a cloth-like item that covered him from head to toe. He was still holding Jaryn's hand who kept her palm across her mouth. She drew her finger to her lips and peeked out from around the cloth. She tilted her head to the side, urging Sam to follow her into the open. She led him down a corridor of fragmented walls that all shared the same eerie shade of misty, deadly grey. Each step they took, they both felt themselves getting colder. They paused for a minute as they were unsure of which was to go next. Their confusion didn't last long however as they soon heard the screams of Hannah. They came from a dark room that was adjacent from where they were going. They wasted no time and ran towards the dark room. They came to a twisted staircase and ran up each one, picking up more speed as they did so. They felt themselves getting desperate for breath, but even then they still carried on running upstairs.

They soon reached its peak and came to another corridor that only had one door which was on their right. Sam went to push the door open but he was pulled back by Jaryn.

"Are you insane? You're just going to walk in there?"

"She's got my sister!" He spat.

"Look, just hang on." She pushed the door open a little and saw her mother laying a frightened and screaming Hannah across a table.

"We're going to have to be quick. Once I get her away from the table, you can start scaling that wall over there. Once you get to the top, grab the Veil and smash it to pieces. I'll grab Hannah and the three of us can run free."

"How am I supposed to get to the wall without her seeing me?" Jaryn looked up and Sam followed her gaze. A small, open archway was carved into the wall.

"I can't climb this! There's no grips at all!"

"Put your hand on the wall." He did so and felt a weird force pulling him closer to the wall. He put the other hand on the wall and started to lift himself further up the wall until he finally reached her arched window. Jaryn sighed and let herself in the throne room.

"Empress Morrigan." Jaryn addressed her as she kneeled before her.

"Don't think I've changed my mind about this! The mortals need to DIE! Are you forgetting what they've done to Kesara?" Morrigan spat furiously. Jaryn became apprehensive and stood up straight as she saw a knife within Morrigan's grasp.

"No. I-I know! That's why I'm here! I was hoping... I would be the one to do it. Seeing as I'm the one who brought her here, I only think it's fair that I... take her out." Morrigan looked at her with her doubtful, grey eyes.

"You clearly mistake me as a fool!" She scoffed.

"Of course I don't! Not my Queen! I would never see you as such. I came here to tell you that I'm sorry for failing you as a daughter and as a subject. I haven't been as loyal as you've expected me and I apologise. From the bottom of my heart, I apologise. If I might be so bold, I don't see why mortals should have to suffer for my shortcomings." Morrigan stepped away from the table and opened her arms, inviting her in for a hug. Jaryn noticed Sam trying to squeeze through another arched window. She quickly looked back so Morrigan wouldn't get curious. Jaryn walked into her mother's outstretched arms and hugged her tightly. It was the closest she'd felt to her mother for a long time. She closed her eyes as she let her mother's warmth engulf her. She smiled a little and rested her cheek against her mother's chest. She knew what she was supposed to be doing but slowly abandoned her plans for getting Hannah out of here. This small hug she shared with her mother rekindled her faith in her mother's redemption from evil and cruelty. She then shrieked however as she felt a searing pain in her side. She collapsed out of shock and the severity of the pain in her side. As she fell back, she saw her own dark red blood blanketed around the blade of her mother's knife.

"You're no daughter of mine! You're weak, and so was Kesara! Her death was inevitable!"

"What, all because she was trusting?" Jaryn clutched her side as she tried to cover her wound and stop any excess blood flowing out of her open wound.

"Just like you, she never would have thought the most dangerous enemy would be... her own mother." Jaryn gasped and looked at her mother in horror.

"You... **you...** killed... Kesara?" She gasped, her eyes flooding with tears as she hated herself for being so clueless and unable to protect her sister.

"It's not like you can do anything. You seriously think you can defeat your mother? Your power is no match for mine." She scoffed at Jaryn and how she writhed in pain, still clutching her side.

"Answer me this then! Why should that baby have to die if it was **you** who murdered Kesara?" Morrigan looked at Hannah who was still wailing and shrieking like a banshee on the table.

" **Someone** has to be a worthy sacrifice for your sister. How else are we supposed to rise to power against the mortals?!"

"Well let **me** be the sacrifice! Not her! She's just an infant! She's worthless. I'm the Princess! I'd be worth a whole lot more than _her_."

"Your blood has already been spilled. You're ruined. Contaminated." Morrigan turned back to Hannah and raised the knife above her head. Jaryn gasped and urged herself to get back up. Still clutching her side, she lunged at Morrigan and pinned her to the ground, knocking the dagger out of her hands. It slid away from their reach.

"It's **you** who's contaminated!" She spat as she stared at her mother with hateful eyes. Morrigan raised her knee and it impacted Jaryn in the stomach and as her grip loosened on her arms, she rolled off of her, feeling unbearable agonies in her side. Morrigan reached for the knife and stood over Jaryn, who was still writing on the freezing, stone palace floors. Morrigan had the knife just above Jaryn's chest and proceeded to pierce it through her heart.

"NOOO!" Sam shrieked. Morrigan turned around, the knife still just above Jaryn's chest. She stared in disbelief and then looked at Jaryn with rage in her eyes that narrowed in spite.

"He's still alive?!" She roared.

"Mother please! I- AHH!" She was cut off by a sudden slap in her face that made her pale cheek turn a bright shade of pink. She cupped her cheek as a small tear escaped her terrified eyes.

"Pathetic! That's it! This baby is going to **DIE** and then, when I'm finished, it's **his** turn!" Morrigan turned to face Sam who was still clinging on to the wall. He was just a few metres away from the Veil. He reached his hand to grab it but he lost his footing and clinger on the wall with all of his might. Jaryn knew what Morrigan was planning to do and despite her agonising, searing pain, she once again lunged at Morrigan. The pain she felt left her with a small amount of strength, but it was still enough to make her lose focus and stumble over.

"Not **this** time!" Jaryn yelled.

"This **is** going to happen, Jaryn. And I don't care **who** I have to kill to see it done!" Jaryn dropped to her knees as she saw Morrigan raise her hand to her. She had her palm in front of her stomach and pushed her hand forward to make Jaryn fall back. She tried to fight against the stinging in her sides but realised it was useless. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply as she knew it would be her last. She felt even more tears flow from her eyes. She couldn't tell if it was the pain or if it was the fact that her own mother didn't love her and was willing to sacrifice her within a moments notice. In her mind, she saw the small, beaming face of Kesara who had a wide, mischievous grin.

"It's OK, Jaryn. **I** love you. So much." She said in her tiny, fragile voice. Jaryn felt a waterfall of tears cascade from her eyes as she heard the voice of her little sister. It was as if nothing else mattered anymore. The fact that she was about to die didn't matter anymore. She kept the image of Kesara in her mind for as long as she could as she tried to ease herself with the thought of dying.

 _"Don't worry Jaryn, I've got you."_


	12. Chapter 12 - The End?

Jaryn slowly opened her eyes and wondered why she hadn't felt the knife pierce through her chest her when she suddenly saw Morrigan freeze and the knife fell from her hands and slid over to Jaryn's feet. She looked up and saw the luminous face of her mother slowly turn to grey. The bright verdant irises of her eyes slowly faded into a more silver, misty colour; her aqua and dark green eyeshadow transformed into black, crescent shapes over her eyes; her full, blood red lips faded into black across her lips. She looked to her hands which no longer possessed their consistent smoothness. Instead, they slowly became thinner until the bones of her fingers stuck out of the thin layer of her now wrinkled skin. She fell to her knees and Jaryn looked over her head to see Sam standing upon a small pedestal, surrounded by shards of multicoloured glass. Jaryn smiled and knew her mother was no longer a potential threat to her.

"You have no power over me, Mother. Not. Any. More." Jaryn said through clenched teeth. Morrigan stepped back, staring at her hands in horror. She raised one and tried to use her powers once more, but nothing occurred. She ran her hands through her hair which was slowly changing colour from brunette to elderly grey. It no longer held in its hair tie. It fell down her shoulders and (both out of fury and horror) she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"No. No! This- This isn't how- NOOOOOOOOOO!" She bellowed.

"You can't hurt anyone anymore. No one should have to suffer the way Kesara did. You're not a Queen. You're a witch! A selfish, unloving, monster!" Jaryn spat.

"Yes. I may be a witch, but at least I can fight. If anything, it was **your** fault Kesara was killed. You couldn't protect her. You killed your own sister!" Morrigan grinned. Jaryn leaped at Morrigan and in a fit of rage, kicked her farther away from herself and from Hannah. Due to being powerless however, she fell too far back and she screamed as she fell back over the balcony and she plundered to the ground below. Jaryn gasped and looked at herself in disbelief and guilt. Did she really just do that?

"Jaryn!" Sam called as he leaped down from the pedestal. He saw how pale she had gotten and then gasped a little as he saw the open wound in her side. He walked behind her and tore off a strip of her white cloak and wrapped it around her waist. It held good, but there was still a heavy flow of blood and it soaked through the strip of cloth. Sam ran past her to pick Hannah up off of the table and spin her around as he hugged her. He checked if there was any injuries on her but found none. He kissed her forehead and brushed a few curly locks hair out of her face.

"Sammy!" Hannah cried joyfully. She wrapped her arms tight around Sam's neck and wrapped her legs right round his stomach so she was clinging on to him like a monkey. She looked over his shoulder and saw Jaryn smiling at her. Hannah smiled back with her consistent cheeky grin. She wriggled out of his grasp so he put her down and she ran all the way to Jaryn and hugged her knees.

"Hurt?" She asked as she looked at the bandage with her little puppy dog eyes.

"Don't you worry, Hannah. Your big brother helped me." She smiled.

"Like a superhero!" Hannah shouted proudly.

"Yeah. A superhero." Sam picked Hannah up from under her arms and spun her around as if she was flying.

"I guess that makes you the cheeky little monkey, then. Doesn't it?" He laughed as he heard Hannah's squeals of delight. Jaryn laughed a little at their entertainment, but then frowned to herself as she realised how she never got to have that with Kesara. She then looked at herself with hate as she realised she had been slowly using Hannah as a sort of replacement for Kesara. She knew what had to be done. They had to go home.

"I guess you two will be wanting to go home now." She said in a sort of monotone voice as she deeply wished that they didn't have to.

"As cool as this place is Jaryn, we have to go home. We have a life there. It's not as thrilling, but... it's ours. Hannah's starting nursery soon, I have school. As soon as I leave, I'm gonna try and pursue an acting career. Try and pursue-"

"Your dream?" She asked.

"Yeah. My dream."

"If that's what you really want. Just know that my Labyrinth will always be a place you can visit. Day or night."

"I know." He nodded and held Hannah even closer to him.

"Give me your hand. I have something I need to give you." He took her hand with no hesitation and within a heartbeat, they were back in Jaryn's castle. She let go of his hand and rummaged through a small case beside her iron throne. She pulled out a small pin that had the same crest as Jaryn's necklace. She pinned it onto Sam's t-shirt.

"Just in case you try and convince yourself this whole place was a dream." She smirked.

"Trust me, I don't think I'll be doubting my adventure here anytime soon." Jaryn tickled Hannah slightly and she giggled.

"Don't take her for granted, you know. Look after her, Sam." She said with deep meaning of her words in her heart which was slowly filling of remorse and sorrow over the fact that she couldn't do anything for her sister. She wasn't about to let Sam take advantage of what he had.

"I will." Jaryn prepared another crystal in her palm and took a deep breath.

"Close your eyes." She said as she looked away. She threw the crystal in the air. She stepped back and let it smash. She turned away and finally let a single tear fall down her cheek as she watched her true love slip away from her forever. The entire throne room lit up and darkened again. Jaryn fell to her knees and weeped into her gloved hands. She felt an unbearable pain in her heart. The worst pain she had felt in her life. She didn't do anything to stop it, however. Instead, she... embraced this new type of pain. Despite its severity, it was still the only reminder she had of Sam anymore. She was kneeling down in both pain and sorrow. She sobbed and screamed and shrieked into her hands and slowly accepted what she was now. The lost and lonely Goblin Queen of the Underground.

* * *

 **HOME**

Sam lowered his hands and he was just happy to finally recognise his surroundings for once. He was stood in his dimly lit living room and the antique grandfather clock chimed as it struck twelve. He then became apprehensive and darted upstairs.

"Hannah. HANNAH? Hannah?" He called as he finally came to the master bedroom and he saw Hannah fast asleep in her cot. He smiled as he saw how peaceful she looked. He gently ran his finger across her chubby rosy cheek and his grin widened. He looked back at the bed and saw Lancelot who still laid at the bottom of the bed. He picked it up and placed it under Hannah's pink fleecy blanket beside her. He leaned over the cot and kissed her forehead gently. He walked over to the door and flicked the switch off. He made sure to leave the door open a little however so she wouldn't get scared.

Sam went back to his room and laid on his bed for a few minutes, recounting the adventure he had. He then started to doubt if it really happened. He began to think he'd been dreaming. He then felt the small pin across his t shirt that had Jaryn's regal crest on it and then smiled as he knew it was everything but a dream. There was a light tap on the door.

"Sammy?" A gentle voice called through the door. He opened the door and saw Hannah standing in her striped onesie with Lancelot in her hand.

"What are you doing out of bed, monkey?"

"Sleep here?" She asked. Sam smiled and picked her up. He lay down by Hannah and tickled her chubby belly and she squealed. Sam walked over to his mirror and let her play around on the bed for a bit. He took out baby pictures of Hannah and lodged them between the mirror and its frame. He looked to his left and saw the reflection of Ludo staring back at him.

"Goodbye Sam." His deep voice said out of sorrow. Sam quickly turned around but couldn't see him anywhere. He looked back in the mirror, only to see Sir Didymus and then Haggle by his bed.

"Remember good sir, should you need us..." Sir Didymus was now perched on his bed, but then disappeared as Haggle appeared.

"Yeah. Should you need us for any reason at all." Sam felt his eyes filling up with tears and carried on looking into the mirror.

"I DO need you Haggle." He said softly as he felt a huge lump slowly forming in his throat. His voice broke as he spoke to Haggle.

"You do?" She said, raising her dark eyebrows.

"I don't know why but... every now and again in my life for no reason at all I need you. All of you."

"Well, why didn't ya say so?" She chuckled and Sam turned around to see all of his newfound friends in his bedroom. Hannah was bouncing around with the fireys on the bed and Sam picked Haggle up and spun her around as he hugged her tightly. He hugged Didymus and then Ludo who growled his name happily as he was thrilled to see his friend again. As he laughed along with his friends, he stepped closer to the window and smiled as he realised there was no shame in still wishing to keep his childhood fantasies in his heart (so long as he can be a grown up when it comes to looking after his little sister and living in the real world). He noticed something twitch out of the corner of his eye and he saw Jaryn in her owl form spreading her ivory wings and she soared off into the night sky. He watched her fly away until she appeared as a small dark speck in front of the full, glowing moon and smiled as he knew she was still OK. Despite everything she did. He turned around and joined in with the party.


	13. Chapter 13 - New Face, Old Story

A couple of weeks had passed since that night. No matter how much he tried, Sam just couldn't get the Labyrinth out of his head. Not to mention Jaryn came to mind a lot. Much more frequently than he'd expected. He was now laying on his freshly made bed with Hannah laying on his arm, using it as a pillow. He played with a few curls of her hair and sung to her. He tried remembering the words what Jaryn sang to him when he was dancing with her.

 _"But I'll be there for you as the world falls down..."_ Sam could've swore she was going asleep. At least until she poked him in his stomach to get his attention.

"Yeah monkey?" He asked.

"Hungry." She whined. He smiled and sat up slowly so Hannah wouldn't roll off the bed.

"What can I get you?" He asked in a posh voice, making her giggle.

"Pancakes!" She squealed. He turned around and kneeled down a little so Hannah could climb on his back and put her arms around his neck. She made noises like a monkey and thrashed she arms about as he paraded around the bedroom with her and then finally, downstairs to make her breakfast. He sat her down in her favourite chair that had her special pink frilly cushion. She clapped her hands and banged on the table playfully as she waited for Sam to prepare the pancake mix in a frying pan. He walked over to the cupboard and looked around for something to put on the top as an extra flavour. He brought down a few tubs of different toppings and held them up to Hannah so she could pick which one she wanted.

"Syrup?" Hannah looked at him with a cross face and pretended to throw up. He giggled and set the syrup down.

"Lemon juice?"

"No!" She said in her squeaky, angry voice.

"Oh. Hang on... I found another one, but I don't know if you'll like it." He turned around to show her a jar of chocolate spread. She gasped and then started to bounce in her seat.

"Oh, you DO like chocolate spread?" He smiled playfully as he noticed her excitement. She stuck her tongue out and resembled the face of a puppy. He put the syrup and lemon juice back in the cupboard and left the chocolate spread beside him. He placed the pancakes on her favourite monkey face breakfast place and took out a butter knife. He took out a large helping of chocolate spread and spread it across each pancake. He placed it in front of her and she made no hesitation to start eating the pancakes ravenously. She looked up at Sam with chocolate smeared all across her mouth and up to her nose. Sam scoffed and took out a small cloth and gently wiped it across her face. He set her plate in the sink and took her upstairs to change her out of her dirty pyjamas and into a white blouse and dark blue pinafore. He set her hair back in a messy ponytail as he wasn't quite sure on how to fix someone's hair. Apart from brushing it.

"Ready for nursery?" He asked.

"You stay wi' me?" She asked.

"I've gotta go to _my_ school. With the other big kids. I'll come pick you up soon though. It won't be too long."

"Promise?" She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to take his pinkie out and cross it with hers.

"Promise." He grabbed his backpack, jacket and Hannah's teddy bear, Cotton Candy, before leaving the house. He paced over to her new nursery and made sure she got settled in before rushing off to his school. He checked the clock that peeked over the willow trees of an old retirement home. He wasn't late just yet. He still had another fifteen minutes. He wasted none of them and ran as fast as he could through busy crossroads until he finally reached the school gates. He just about made it as he let himself into class.

"Ah, Samuel. Nice to see you in the morning for once." Mrs Ryan said surprised at his punctuality.

"Let's hope you keep this up, eh?" She smiled. Sam smiled with her and sat down at the back of the class.

* * *

 **LUNCHTIME**

Sam got called into the Performing Arts room and was greeted by Mandy. She smiled and held up her script in the air.

"There he is. The lead role himself." He smiled bashfully a little. She patted the empty space on the bench next to her, inviting him to sit beside her.

"Congrats Sam-Sam." She grinned, knowing how timorous he got when she called him that. He looked down for a minute and ran his thumb along the stack of pages. She noticed his silence and realised why he wasn't as witty as usual.

"How've you and Hannah been since... you know..." she trailed off, dreading to bring up what happened in the past couple of weeks.

"We're managing. Much more than we've done while Charles was there. Is it bad that... I'm... kinda glad he's dead? I know what he did to me, but... he was _still_ Hannah's dad at the end of the day."

"Trust me. You're **both** better off without him. Guy was a Grade A asshole. I don't know where the hell he got off by beating up his stepson. Why didn't you tell me sooner, anyway? About the abuse?" Sam stood up from the bench and sighed.

"It's not exactly the typical, everyday conversation you have with someone at school, is it?"

"Well yeah, but, I'm your friend. You should feel like you can tell me anything. And you can."

"I'm lucky to have at least **one** friend in this shithole." He smirked. Mandy repeated his signature facial expression and then paused for a minute as she tried to think of a way to lighten the mood.

"Wanna go over the lines?" She asked. Sam nodded and smiled again. He stood up straight in front of Mandy and cleared his throat a little before flipping through the pages and refreshing his memory.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Yup." He tried to adapt to the characteristics of Samson. Which wasn't _too_ difficult. He quickly thought back to the journey he had in the Labyrinth and tried to place himself there again. He delivered his lines with the same tone of voice as he did when he was travelling through Labyrinth: suspenseful, curious, puzzled. Once rehearsal was finished, he was applauded immensely by Mandy.

"Bravo!" She whooped. Sam felt himself blush a little out of embarrassment. He set the script down beside him and took his backpack.

"Jesus, I've seen a lot of plays but I don't think anyone's been as... enthusiastic as you. Almost as if you were Samson yourself." Sam scoffed.

"As if." He shook his head nervously.

"Speaking of which, do you know where Mr King is right now?"

"It's called Weeping Willows Retirement Home. Why?"

"I was actually thinking I might pay him a visit. A few weeks ago, Mrs Ryan told me that he was there on his own and I... just might go ahead and keep him company."

"Good luck. Everyone was saying he was so bitter and he gave off that Ebenezer Scrooge vibe to everyone who knew him." Sam shook his head and did tried to change the subject. He took his backpack and propped it up on the desk before him.

"You comin' to the performance?" He asked as he crammed the script back into his backpack.

"Oh God! I can't believe I didn't tell you!"

"Tell me what?"

"I'm actually moving. I'm going to Canada with my mom. Tomorrow. She's just felt like a change of scenery after the divorce." Sam's gaze darted back over to Mandy. His only good friend was actually leaving. She'd been there for him during so many bleak times and here she was announcing that she's moving away. He wasn't about to let his emotions get in the way however. He smiled and tried to look as sincere as possible.

"I hope you and your mom will be happy in Canada." Mandy came over to him and hugged him tightly.

"You know how it is with friends. They always come and go." Mandy broke their hug and did her best to think of something to say that would reassure him.

"I know. Life isn't fair, but that's the way it is."

"Exactly. Your mom would be really proud of you." Sam faintly smiled at thought of actually seeing his mum and her telling him: 'I'm so proud of you, Sammy.' The bell that signified lunch was over chimed.

"Looks like this is goodbye." Sam said. Mandy brought him in for another hug.

"So long, Sam-Sam." She whispered. He pulled back out of her warm embrace, grabbed his backpack and walked out of the door. He leaned against it once it was closed and regained his composure before making his way to next period.

* * *

 **THE NEXT DAY**

Sam was sat at the kitchen table, staring at his clasped hands. He heard the door behind him creak.

"Sammy?" Hannah squeaked. He blinked a couple of times as he snapped out of his daydream and turned to face Hannah who had her teddy bear in one hand and pacifier in the other. He opened his arms, inviting her to climb on to his knee and give him a hug. He breathed in the faint smell of her beloved strawberry baby shampoo and kissed the top of her head. Hannah squealed as Sam lifted her up and sat her down in her favourite chair at the dinner table. She put her teddy bear in front of her and played patty cake with her. Sam done Hannah her usual breakfast and she made no hesitation to munch on the chocolatey pancakes. He laughed and wiped her hands and around her mouth so there was smeared chocolate all over the damp dishcloth. She lifted her arms so Sam could pick her up along with her teddy bear. He let her play in front of the TV as he reached for the stack of books underneath the sturdy vintage coffee table. He searched for the book that had maps all across the city. He turned his head as he found just the place he was looking for: Weeping Willows Retirement Home. He reached forward for an ornament to keep the book open on that specific page while he rummaged through the drawers for a piece of paper and a pencil. Hannah turned around and crawled up on the empty space next to Sam on the couch.

"What you doin'?" She gurgled. Her speech was muffled due to the pacifier muffling her speech.

"Just trying to see where my friend lives. I'm going to go talk to him for a bit."

"I come?" She pleaded with her big blue puppy dog eyes.

"Of course! Remember your manners though. OK?" She nodded and giggled out of exuberance. Sam took her upstairs and changed her into a new outfit. They left the house with only the house keys, notebook and Hannah's teddy bear with them. Sam made sure to keep looking at the notebook, checking if they were going the right way. He kept tight hold of Hannah's hand and always pushed her behind him a little when it came to crossing the street. She skipped and bounced and leaped as she walked, making Sam wobble along with her as he still clutched on to her little hand.

They stopped for a minute when they came to an open gate. He could just about see a small, white building in the distance. He took a deep breath before walking up to it. Before going in through the main entrance, he kneeled down to Hannah.

"Remember your manners, Hannah. And... try to speak a little quiet. OK?"

"I know." She brought her teddy bear closer to her and Sam pushed open the main door. They came to a dimly lit room. All that was there was a main desk and a row of light blue plushy seats with black armrests on both sides of the room. Still clutching Hannah's hand, Sam approached the desk. A woman greeted him. She looked no younger than forty with brown hair and petite silver streaks that twirled around her bun. She had a small white name tag that read "Abigail." She raised her eyebrows and fixed her black spectacles.

"Can I help you?" She asked in a raspy, dry voice.

"Yeah, hi. Uh, my name's Samuel Williams. I'm here to visit a Mr Samson King." He said clearly.

"Are you a relative?"

"No, I'm a student at the school he used to work at."

"He's not very keen on strangers, you know." She warned him. Sam couldn't think of what to say next. He sighed and then lifted his head once he saw Abigail stand up from her dark blue seat. She took out a couple of tags from the drawer beside her. They both read "VISITOR" in black, bold writing. Once Sam managed to clip it onto his t shirt, he kneeled down and helped clip Hannah's onto the lapel of her cardigan. He picked her up and proceeded to follow Abigail into the next room.

The three of them entered a chilly minuscule room with nothing but a freshly made bed, a TV, a stack of newspapers and a nightstand that had an empty cup on its side. Sam and Hannah remained behind Abigail and didn't dare move until they were given some sort of indication that they were allowed to enter.

"Mr King?" Abigail asked gently as she came further into the room. Sam looked further into the room and saw an elderly man, sat in a creaky brown wooden chair. He had his back to the door and remained staring out of the window into the empty gardens.

"What?" He asked as he was blatantly exasperated of being disturbed. His voice seemed rather low and clear for an old man.

"You have a couple of visitors."

"Tell 'em to go away!" He spat, slightly turning his head to Abigail. She came over to the nightstand and took the empty cup. She scrunched it up as much as she could and dumped it into the nearest bin.

"Don't be rude, Mr King." Abigail sighed. She left Sam and Hannah in the room and closed the door behind her. He still didn't say a word to him. He was still trying to figure out Samson's character.

"Are you deaf? I don't want anyone **in** here!" Hannah flinched a little bit as Mr King raised his voice. Sam shushed her a little and brought her head close to his chest.

"Mr King? You obviously don't know me, but my name's Samuel Williams. I go to the school you used to work at. Ashdale High?" Mr King scoffed and shook his head.

"And you've come to see if it's all true? You've come to see if I really am a goddamn lunatic! Just like how they're all saying!"

"N-no! Not at all! I just-"

"Look, I came here so I could get a bit of goddamn peace! It's bad enough that I've got that **tramp** breathin' down my neck everyday!" He yelled. Sam could hear how wheezy he was getting. He saw him jerk around a little, trying to reach for something on his cupboard. Sam saw he was trying to grab his inhaler. He quickly put Hannah down and grabbed the inhaler for him and helped him operate it. Mr King held it in his mouth for a minute as he gasped and his hyperventilating slowly turned into steady, slow breaths. Mr King still looked at Sam with anger.

"Just get out. Leave me alone." He sighed, tucking his inhaler into his pocket. Sam sighed and walked back to Hannah so he could pick her up. Before he left, he turned back to Mr King.

"You know, despite the fact that you're treating me like shit, I just wanted to say that I believe you." Mr King remained silent.

"It's real, you know."

"What?" Mr King asked out of annoyance.

"It's real. It's all real. She's real."

"Boy, what are you talking about?"

"Labyrinth. I know it's real." Mr King raised his head and turned to face Sam slowly. He made sure he wasn't saying this as an attempt to make him seem foolish. He couldn't help but ask however.

"You've seen it?" He whispered. Sam nodded. Mr King showed just the tiniest hint of a smile across his weary, pale face.

"I've been there myself. I've seen it."

"Have you seen... her?" Sam came closer to him and sat Hannah down on the bed.

"I have." And with that simple statement, Mr King looked as though he had seen a ghost. He ran his hand over his wrinkly forehead and for once (during his time at the retirement home) he opened up to someone.

"Morrigan took your sister, too?"

"Uh, no. It was actually her daughter Jaryn."

"God, I was just about **your** age when I made the wish. I had a stepsister when I was growing up. She got on my nerves a lot as sisters do. But one night, it all just got too much for me and I wished her away and Morrigan took her but I managed to get her back. Morrigan wasn't too keen on me leaving though. I already had a girlfriend at that age, you see."

"Maggie?" Sam asked.

"How did you...?"

"Mrs Ryan told me."

"Of course she did. She was always a gossip." Sam snorted at the remark about one of the most scariest teachers in Ashdale High.

"Is that why you left though? You have a girlfriend?" Mr King asked after they both sniggered.

"Uh, no. I just... chose to come back."

"Why?" Mr King asked.

"Because I... I have to grow up at some point. I can't exactly do that when I'm living in a fantasy world."

"You're pretty much of a dumbass then, aren't ya?" Mr King said.

"I beg your pardon?"

"We're put on this planet so we can live life to the fullest! Why would you choose to come back here when you could have had it all there?"

"Because I have to grow up."

"Do you **want** to grow up?"

"You don't exactly get a choice when it comes to growing up."

"True. But that's why we have fairytales. They actually give us a choice for everything." Sam sighed as he realised he had just been outsmarted by a man who he'd only known for five minutes.

"You've got an answer for everything." Sam said.

"I'm old, but I'm not completely senile." Mr King replied. He looked over Sam's shoulder and saw Hannah, happily bouncing on the bed. Sam took her off the bed so she wouldn't make a mess and sat her on his knee. He bounced his knee up and down and she clapped as she went up and down along with her frizzy hair.

"You can't ever take _her_ for granted, you know." Mr King said with a smile as he saw Hannah squeal out of joy.

"I know." He noticed her yawn like a little lion cub.

"I'd better take her home." He said. He let Hannah fall asleep on his shoulder and he prepared to walk out the room.

"Sam?" Mr King called.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." He said with deep sincerity in his wheezy voice. Sam smiled and walked out of the door with a snoozing Hannah on one arm and her teddy bear in the other. He remained like this until he finally got home.

Before he could fall asleep that night next to Hannah, he internally promised himself he would visit Mr King as much as he could. He could see now that his "bitterness" was merely a result of how other people had treated him. He swore that he would **never** repeat the actions of those who shut him out and known him today as a so called "lunatic".

Sam turned on his side and saw the full moon outside. It looked almost like a beacon in the pitch black landscape that was the night sky.

"Good night Jaryn." He whispered.


	14. Chapter 14 - Home At Last

Three years had now passed and Sam stayed true to his word about visiting Mr. King as much as he could. As they shared their memories about being in Labyrinth, Sam no longer saw the frail, sullen elderly man who berated everyone that came through the bedroom door. Instead, he saw the child within him. He had a joyful expression on his face that shone brighter than the sun each time he recounted his adventure in Labyrinth. Throughout these three years, Sam had made a very good friend in Mr. King. He smiled to himself as he thought about how they talked endlessly about Labyrinth (not to mention how much of a pain in the ass Mrs. Ryan could be).

Sam was now sat in the living room, gathering a few belongings such as photographs and drawings he had recently done of Labyrinth. He also supplied Hannah's teddy bear and the pin what Jaryn gave him before returning home. He stitched it into his white t-shirt and walked into the kitchen where he found Hannah rummaging through a packet of chocolate biscuits. She giggled as she saw Sam's frustrated expression. Her teeth looked brown from the chocolate and there were crumbs falling from her drooling mouth.

"Jesus, Hannah you're six years old now. Are you ever gonna learn your table manners?" Hannah tried to respond, but it just came out as a muffled speech, due to the chocolate biscuits mashed up in her mouth.

"Are you gonna save anything for the picnic?" Sam asked as he wiped across her mouth with a dishcloth. Hannah rolled her eyes and finally swallowed the mixture of crumbs and chocolate in her mouth. He straightened her cardigan and grabbed the bag of snacks before going back to the living room. He picked up the other bag which had all of the photographs and drawings. Hannah clutched on to his hand before they left the house.

They strolled down the same route (as they had done for three years) until they finally reached the retirement home. Sam requested a visit to Mr. Samson King. He was then brought over to the chairs and sat down next to Hannah. Abigail took his hand in her freezing, clutching one.

"I'm so sorry, Samuel." She said. Her voice was breaking a little as she spoke. She took a deep breath before finally speaking to them again.

"Samson passed away last night." She said quietly. Sam initially hoped it was a joke (as sick as it would have been) but Abigail remained sitting before him, almost about to burst into tears. Sam looked away and clenched his jaw so he wouldn't find himself crying as well. He felt a warmth around his arm. Hannah was kneeling on her seat and had her arms wrapped around him. She sobbed quietly into his t-shirt and grabbed a handful of it as she tried to calm down. Sam put his hand around her and held her close. He then looked at Abigail.

"What happened?" He dared himself to ask.

"He went peacefully. He was just sleeping. Before he was going to bed, he told me he had a dream about Maggie and she had her hand out to him."

"Can I see him?" Sam asked.

"He's already been taken to the morgue. I'm so sorry." Sam shook his head a little as he struggled to take in the fact that his newfound friend had died. Abigail reached into her pocket and brought out a neatly folded piece of paper that had Sam's name on it.

"He left this on his nightstand. It was written after the first week you two came here. He wanted me to give it to you if anything were to happen to him." She said with a break in her voice that wasn't so subtle anymore. Sam took the piece of paper and fumbled with the corners as he tried to open it up. Abigail went back to her desk and Sam was left staring at the words on the paper with Hannah peering over his shoulder.

Sam and Hannah, please know that I understand how upsetting our separation will be, but I don't want you to mourn me forever. Just promise me you will both remember the laughs we've had together and all the stories we've told each other.

Your good friend, Samson

P.S: It's not too late for a change.

Sam tried to come to a conclusion over what Samson had meant by "change". Hannah continued weeping into Sam's t-shirt until it became more useful as a tissue than an item of clothing. Sam folded the piece of paper and put it into the side pocket of his jeans. He took Hannah by the hand and proceeded to walk out of the door. They both inhaled deeply as they felt the gentle spring breeze on their faces. The pair of them remained hard-faced as they padded across the bare stone pathway. Sam looked at Hannah who was just as sorrowful as he was. He heard the sound of screaming and no, not the ominous type. It was the type of scream that one would do when they were excited. He turned his head to his side and saw a bunch of children who were prancing like deer around the swings and climbing frame. Sam looked at Hannah and smiled. He walked over to the small gate that led them to the swings. Hannah grinned as she saw an empty one and (literally) ran to the opportunity. Sam lifted her up by her armpits and lifted her up onto the flexible leather seat. As Sam pushed her higher, she kicked her legs higher and felt as if she could fly. She looked up to the clear, cloudless sky and stopped kicking until she finally stopped swinging back and forth and she was back in front of Sam. She looked down at her white and blue dress.

"You OK, monkey?" Sam asked.

"I miss Samson." She said quietly. Sam sighed and lifted her off the swing. He sat beside her on a single park bench and stroked her messy, frizzy, auburn ponytail.

"I miss him too, monkey. But don't you worry. Mom will look after him. She can tell him all sorts of stories about us while they're in Heaven."

"But what about my... what about Charles?" Sam noticed the fact that she didn't mention him by 'dad.' He was actually happy, to say the least.

"Don't worry about him. He's off with all the other bad people."

"At least he can't hurt any of us anymore." She said.

"Come on. Shall we have that picnic? There are a few picnic tables over there." He tickled her neck and she giggled.

"OK." She smiled and took Sam's hand as he led her away from the park. Hannah (despite her sorrow) began to run in front of Sam and started pulling funny faces at him. Sam started to chase her until she finally ran to the picnic area. Hannah sprinted in front of Sam to the picnic table.

"I'm gonna beat you, Sammy!" She laughed. Sam came running behind her with the two bags in his hands.

"Will you slow down?" He called.

"Will you hurry up?" Hannah climbed up in the table of the picnic bench and danced. She slipped however but Sam just about managed to catch her.

"This is what happens when you don't hold my hand." He said. He set the bag down on the table and took out a full chocolate bar. He split it in half and made sure to give Hannah the bigger half. She ate her chocolate quickly and smiled at Sam with chocolate smeared around her mouth. Sam giggled as he put another piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"Come here." He laughed and wiped her mouth with his sleeve. They played with her prince and princess dolls and teddy bears. Hannah mostly loved it when Sam put on different voices for the toys. They both noticed it was starting to get late.

"Come on. We'd better go home." Hannah sighed and she started to pack away all of her toys. Sam turned around with the loaded bags in his hands and pointed to his back. Hannah climbed on with her arms around his neck. He whinnied and neighed like a horse as they came to the gates of the park. Hannah pulled on the hood of his jacket which meant 'stop.'

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking over his shoulder. He saw Hannah point to the right. He let her climb down off his back and run off to a stone where they both saw an owl. A barn owl, to be precise. Hannah squeaked and looked at Sam. She approached the owl and held her hand out.

"Hi." She whispered as if she was expecting her to talk back. She ran her hand across the owl's gentle, light brown feathers.

"Sammy, it HAS to be her." She whispered so she wouldn't scare her.

"It could be." He admitted. You'd think that just because Hannah was six he'd go along with her but even Sam wondered if it really was Jaryn.

"Can we make the wish?" She asked.

"We have to go home, Hannah."

"I don't WANT to go home. I miss the Labyrinth and I miss Jaryn." She said with her signature puppy dog eyes.

"Sammy, please? I know you miss it there too." She smirked. Sam (as much as he didn't want to admit it) knew Hannah was right. He held her hand and looked at the owl again.

"Go on then. Say it with me." They both closed their eyes and prepared to make the wish.

"I wish the Goblin Queen would take us away right now." They both said. They opened their eyes and the owl had flown away. Sam sighed as he saw Hannah run away in disappointment. She darted across the bridge and waited outside the forest for Sam to catch up with her. She NEVER went in there on her own. Not just because it looked scary and never-ending, but also because Sam always told her to wait for him before going in there just in case she'd end up getting lost.

Sam grabbed her little hand and they both walked through the forest. Hannah (still clutching his hand) remained behind him the whole time. Each time they came to a branch or a log, she'd always climb at the top and wait for Sam to put his arms around her waist and help her back down to the earth.

She saw a pile of leaves and ran through all of them, making them spin and twist and twirl through the wind. As she stopped kicking, however, the leaves carried on spinning around her. Sam kept Hannah close by his side and put his hand over her eyes in case any stray twigs or leaves would hit her in the eye.

"What's going on?" She asked as Sam still had his palm across her little blue eyes. Sam put her head into his side and put his head over hers. He clenched his eyes shut and out his other arm behind her back. He heard the leaves still whooshing and dancing around them both and he felt the odd one hit him in the back of the neck repeatedly. They both kneeled down so they could shelter themselves and didn't dare open their eyes once. At least not until it all went quiet and they couldn't see the sunlight through their eyelids anymore. Hannah opened her little eyes first and gasped. She tapped Sam on the back so he could look where she was looking. They both looked as if they had seen a ghost, pale and wide-eyed. They both couldn't believe it and tried to assume they were dreaming.

"We're not dreaming." Sam smiled and looked down at Hannah.

"It's really her." He added. Hannah let go of Sam's hand and leaped into the warm, welcoming arms of Jaryn. She wrapped her arms around Jaryn's neck and ran her little hands through her hair. Hannah squealed as she felt Jaryn tickle her belly and lift her up in the air. She then looked over Hannah's shoulder.

"Hello, Sam." She said. He didn't respond. Instead, he called Hannah back over. She refused.

"Hannah come here now." He said, for the second time.

"No! She's my best friend! I like Jaryn and I know you do too." Sam didn't say anything as a response.

"Hannah, would you mind if I talked to Jaryn for a minute?" He asked. Jaryn set her back down on the floor.

"Can I go play with Elodie?" She asked Jaryn. Jaryn helped her back down on the ground. She took out a crystal and told Hannah to put both hands on it. She did so and a luminous bright white light filled the darkness around them all. Sam shielded his eyes until the light died down and it was just he and Jaryn.

"I see she's grown up to be a beautiful little girl." She smiled as she saw Hannah playing with the goblins in the little crystal. Sam couldn't help but grin as he acknowledged what Jaryn said about her. It was quite true, as well.

"You've done a really good job protecting her, you know." Sam didn't respond as he mistook her praises as a mockery of his ways of taking care of her since Charles died.

"What do you want?" He asked, not even looking at her.

"What about what YOU want? After all, it was you who made the wish, wasn't it?"

"It was Hannah's idea. She's six, I-I just... went along with it."

"True, but I could see the disappointment on your face when you thought the wish didn't work." Sam couldn't think of what to say.

"It's been three years, Jaryn. I'm nineteen now. Things have changed."

"They don't have to. All you have to do is say the words. Everything I have would be yours. I would be yours. Just tell me what you want."

Sam just couldn't do it anymore. He took one look at Jaryn and stepped closer to her. She didn't dare to back away. He brought his trembling hand up to her chin so she was looking deeply into his eyes. Sam leaned down and closed his eyes as he shared his first kiss with her. Jaryn held on to his forearms as the kiss deepened. Sam groaned as he felt some sort of relief as he kissed her. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He had never felt like this with anyone. Now that he did, he didn't want to be released from this feeling ever again.

He parted the kiss, both of them breathing heavily. Jaryn smiled at him.

"You. I just want you." Sam admitted. His hands rested on Jaryn's blushing cheeks and he planted another kiss on her head.

"You already have me. You have had me for a long time." Jaryn whispered.

"I want to stay with you," Sam whispered into her ear.

"As you wish." Jaryn chuckled and she shared yet another passionate kiss with him.

"Hang on." She said and drew the crystal back out of her sleeve. She rolled it away from her and Sam and Hannah came running back. She saw them both standing close together.

"Oh. My. God. Are you..?" She became lost for words as she saw Sam holding Jaryn's. Sam held his hand out to her and she came running into Jaryn and Sam.

"Looks like you're not a total dummy after all," Hannah said. Sam and Jaryn giggled.

"Keep talking, you won't get to be our bridesmaid." Sam chuckled. Hannah ran her index finger and thumb over her lips to make it seem like she zipped her lips shut and carried on hugging them both. They parted to find themselves back in Jaryn's castle. Hannah ran upstairs and they both heard her squeal as she reunited with her goblin friends.

Two Weeks Later

Sam looked down at his clasped hands as he nervously awaited Jaryn to appear from around the corner, ready to be his wife. He looked at his surroundings and it was all too familiar to him. He felt as if he was once again in that bizarre dream sequence. He pinched his hand to see if he was dreaming but he still appeared to be in the ivory ballroom with strings of exquisite pearls flowing from the countless chandeliers above him. He looked around him and saw every seat around him filled with men and women of very unusual clothing. He tried looking around for Hannah until he finally saw her slowly walk up to him with a hand weaved basket filled with petals of some of the most beautiful flowers. All of them were ones Sam had never seen before.

Hannah took a handful of the petals and threw them up in the air and they flowed around Jaryn who walked behind her. Sam's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Never before had he ever seen a girl that possessed unimaginable beauty. She was now stood before him, wearing the same dress that she had worn in Sam's dream. She took his nervous hands in hers. He was shocked a little when he couldn't feel her usual leather gloves. Instead, he felt her warm, bare, delicate hands. She was naturally pale, but she now seemed more pink than white. An adorable blush slowly painted her cheeks and forehead and it almost made her face seem like a light.

Hannah took her place on an empty seat and struggled to contain her excitement. She watched Sam deliver his vows with deep compassion and she awed as she noticed Sam's eyes never left Jaryn's. She squealed and applauded with the crowd as they both shared their first kiss as a married King and Queen. Hannah ran over to Sam and he picked her up, laughing along with her. Jaryn tickled her neck and shared her joyful expression. As the three walked out, Sam gasped as he saw the familiar faces of Haggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Ambrosius. He marveled as he saw his dear friends again and didn't hesitate to run up to all of them and share a long embrace with them. Sam called Hannah over and she joined in with the hug. She felt Ludo's giant paw on her back and Haggle's lumpy hand in hers. They turned to face Jaryn as she cleared her throat. Haggle kneeled before her, Ludo bowed his head and Sir Didymus bowed like the noble fox that he was. She bowed to them all and called Haggle up to her.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"How would you like to be a human again?" She asked. Haggle could've sworn she was joking but she noticed that Jaryn didn't laugh or say anything to ridicule her.

"Just say the word and I'll make you human again." Haggle was overjoyed at this offer but she looked at her friends and shook her head.

"As temptin' as that is your Majesty, I think I'll stay like this. It's how I looked when I met these guys and if I'm human again, I don't think I'll be as close with them as I am now." Jaryn grinned. She took one of the iridescent jewels off her corset and handed it to Haggle.

"Though I've never shown it, I truly admire you Haggle. This jewel will forever be a symbol of our newfound friendship."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

"Call me Jaryn." She smiled.

"Jaryn, though I'm over the moon to be friends with ya, I'm gonna miss you gettin' me name wrong." Jaryn snorted and Sam did too. The seven friends walked off into their underground kingdom. Hannah ran off with Haggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Ambrosius so they could play along with the Goblin subjects who were henceforth demanded to treat them with the utmost respect. Jaryn and Sam stood with their arms linked as they gazed at the serene land. Jaryn rested her head on Sam's shoulder and sighed contently as she saw the river before her which reflected the beauteous light of the crystal moon. She looked at Sam with loving eyes.

"What?" He smiled.

"Looks like I was right. Down in the Underground, you do find someone true."


End file.
